The Role of Dr. Francis Willis in the Madness of George III.

ABSTRACT

In the well-known story of the illness of King George III, what is often overlooked is the part played by Dr. Francis Willis, an inconspicuous doctor who with great success ran an asylum in Lincolnshire. In November 1788, he was called to attend the King whose mania was becoming uncontrollable. Because of his interventions there was a slow but marked improvement. The King's recovery in 1789 increased Willis' reputation and expanded his practice.