A 
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE 
OF 
DR. T. ROMEYN BECK. 
Reprinted from the American Journal of Insanity, 
October, 1855. 
STATE LUNATIC ASYLUM, 
UTICA, NEW YORK. 
1855. A 
/ * 
I 
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE 
OF 
DR. T. ROMEYN BECK. 
Reprinted from the American Journal of Insanity, 
October, 1855. 
STATE LUNATIC ASYLUM, 
UTICA, NEW YORK. 
1855. The following brief sketch of Dr. Beck was prepared 
for the American Journal of Insanity, with reference 
more particularly to the department of medicine to 
which that periodical is devoted. In its present form, 
to those who have met Dr. B. in other than professional 
relations, there will be a seeming incompleteness, 
which this will explain. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE, &C. 
Intimately connected with the later history of nearly 
every department of scientific literature, in this state, 
is the name beneath which we are writing. It is not 
our purpose, even did space permit, to follow the sub- 
ject of this brief sketch through the many fields en- 
riched by his labors, but simply to speak of his connec- 
tion with the specialty to which this Journal is more 
particularly devoted. Although his mind seems to have 
been directed to the subject of insanity upon the very 
threshold of his professional studies, it has received but 
a small share of his attention-sufficient, however, to 
have contributed largely to its literature and progress 
in this country. 
Dr. Theodric Romeyn Beck was born at Schenec- 
tady, New York, August 11th, 1791. His grandfather, 
Rev. Derick Romeyn, a distinguished scholar of his 
day, was a Professor of Theology in the school of the 
Reformed Dutch Church, and one of the founders of 
Union College. By the death of Dr. Beck's father, his 
early care and education, and that of his four brothers, 
devolved upon their widowed mother. In the brilliant 
future and distinguished usefulness of her youthful 6 
charge we see the fruit of the piety, intelligence and 
energy of this truly excellent woman; and as the 
reward of all her care, we find her, in advancing years, 
the honored mother of one of the most talented families 
in the state. 
Of these five sons, two died early-one a lawyer of 
great promise, at St. Louis, and another, Nicholas F., 
who deceased while holding the office of Adjutant Gen- 
eral under De Witt Clinton. Of the surviving brothers, 
Dr. John B. Beck, the distinguished author and phy- 
sician, was for many years Professor of Materia Medica 
in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New 
York, and died in that city in 1851. The remaining 
brother, Lewis C. Beck, was no less eminent, and, at 
the time of his decease, two years since, was Professor 
of Chemistry in the Albany Medical College, and occu- 
pied the same chair in Rutger's College, New Jersey. 
To the general as well as professional reader the writ- 
ings of both these brothers are well known, while the 
name of the latter is prominently associated with the 
preparation of the "Natural History of the State of New 
York," to which he contributed a valuable volume. 
Dr. T. Romeyn Beck acquired the rudiments of his 
education in the Grammar School at Schenectady, under 
the more immediate supervision of his grandfather, 
and was graduated at Union College in 1807. Making 
choice of medicine as a profession, he soon after com- 
menced his studies with Drs. McClelland and Low, at 7 
Albany ; but, induced by the superior advantages offered 
in the city of New York, he subsequently proceeded 
thither, and entered the office of Dr. David Hosack. 
He attended the lectures of the College of Physicians 
and Surgeons, then recently established, and received 
from that institution, in 1811, the degree of Doctor in 
Medicine, on which occasion he presented an inaugural 
thesis on the subject of Insanity. 
This dissertation was immediately published, and 
received much merited attention. Although written at 
a time when but few in this country had devoted them- 
selves particularly to the study of Insanity, it exhibits, 
on the part of its author, a full appreciation of the 
importance of the subject, and a very intimate acquaint- 
ance with its literature. It is now out of print, the 
limited edition published soon finding its way into the 
hands of permanent possessors. The pamphlet con- 
tains thirty-four closely printed pages, and is inscribed 
to his uncle, Dr. John B. Romeyn, and Dr. David 
Hosack, and presented to his early preceptors, Drs. 
Low and McClelland, "as the first-fruits of an education 
commenced under their care." After an introduction, 
with a brief detail of earlier investigations, and the 
various theories advanced by older writers to account 
for the phenomena of diseased mental action, follows a 
condensed history of the disease, its symptomatology, eti- 
ology, pathology, prognosis and treatment. In subsequent 
pages the medical jurisprudence of insanity is con- 8 
sidered, in reference both to the security of the public 
and the proper treatment of the patient. 
This little volume, from the pen of "one whose 
opportunities of viewing the disease had been scanty, 
and whose information was derived principally from 
books," exhibits an intimate acquaintance with the lit- 
erature of the subject, and the then only partially 
acknowledged wants of the insane, alike creditable to his 
character as a scholar and to his correct judgment. 
Soon after his graduation he returned to the city of 
Albany, opened an office, and commenced the practice 
of his profession. His cultivated taste and studious 
habits soon brought him into intimate relation with sci- 
entific men of his day; and as early as 1813 we find 
his name upon the list of Counsellors of the "Society 
for the Promotion of Useful Arts," in connection with 
that of De Witt Clinton and others equally eminent. 
This association at that time held a high rank in the sci- 
entific world, and had enrolled upon its list of member- 
ship some of the most honored names in the State. It 
was a re-incorporation of the old " Society for the 
Promotion of Agriculture, Arts and Manufactures," first 
organized in 1791, after the expiration of its charter in 
1804. Among his earlier and most successful efforts 
in this new and honorable field is the annual address, 
delivered by appointment before the society, at the 
Capitol, in the city of Albany, on the 3d of February, 
1813. This production was more particularly directed 9 
to the public, its object being the more perfect develop- 
ment of the mineral resources of our country, or, as is 
stated in the preface, to exhibit at one view the mineral 
riches of the United States, with their various application 
to the arts, and to demonstrate the practicability of the 
increase of different manufactures whose materials 
are derived from this source. It is well calculated 
to awaken an increased interest in this important matter, 
and was received with great favor throughout the Union. 
In 1815 Dr. Beck was appointed Professor of the 
Institutes of Medicine, and Lecturer on Medical Juris- 
prudence, in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of 
the Western District of New York, an institution then in 
the third year of its existence. The proximity of the 
College to the city of Albany enabled him to discharge 
his professional duties, and at the same time retain his 
medical practice, which he continued to do for some 
time. 
Notwithstanding his many arduous duties, his interest 
in the progress of scientific investigation seems to have 
been unabated, and, in the spring of 1819, he read be- 
fore the Society for the Promotion of useful Arts a most 
elaborate paper on Alum, which will be found printed 
with the transactions of the association. A short time 
previous he found his strength unequal to the laborious 
duties of his profession; and, on account of his appre- 
hension of ill health, and, perhaps, in indulgence of his 
increasing taste for literary pursuits, he abandoned the 10 
general practice of medicine entirely, and, in 1817, was 
appointed Principal of the Albany Academy, an institu- 
tion collegiate in character, and occupying a high literary 
standing. Teaching was especially adapted to his taste ; 
and, under his enlightened management, for more than 
a quarter of a century, the academy unvaryingly main- 
tained a most elevated rank among similar institutions. 
Notwithstanding his connection as Principal w7ith the 
Albany Academy, he seems to have retained his pro- 
fessorship at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, 
and, in 1824, delivered an introductory lecture "On the 
Utility of County Medical Institutions." 
In 1829 Dr. Beck was elected President of the Med- 
ical Society of the State of New York, and, at the 
meeting of the Society, at Albany, delivered the annual 
address, on the subject of "Medical Evidence." Con- 
tinuing in office several years, he pronounced, on similar 
occasions subsequently, two addresses-one upon " Med- 
ical Improvements," and the other upon " Small Pox," 
all of which will be found in the volume of " Transac- 
tions" for the respective years. 
Since 1841 he has filled the honorable situation of 
Secretary to the Board of Regents of the University of 
the State of New York; and, beside the multiplied duties 
connected with that position, has had devolving upon him, 
as ex-officio Secretary to the Trustees of the State Library, 
a large share of its management. The complete and 
well-arranged catalogue of the Library, and the inter- 11 
esting and comprehensive reports of the Board of Re- 
gents bear the impress of his untiring application and 
devotion to the important interests over which that dis- 
tinguished body presides. 
Dr. Beck has always been a man of great and en- 
lightened public spirit, ever ready to countenance and 
promote whatever tended to secure the highest interest 
of the community. This spirit and his natural benevo- 
lence have enlisted him ardently in the great public 
chanties, either in their establishment and organization, 
or in the subsequent management of their affairs. His 
"Statistics of the Deaf and Dumb," read before the 
Medical Society of the State of New York, was the fruit 
of this philanthropy, and was most powerful in directing 
the attention of the public to the wants of this afflicted 
portion of the community. 
Dr. Beck was appointed one of the Managers of the 
New York State Lunatic Asylum, by the act of its or- 
ganization, in April, 1842; and has been re-appointed 
by the Governor and Senate, at the expiration of each 
successive tri-annual period until the present time. 
Upon the death of Mr. Munson, in the spring of 1854, 
he (although a non-resident member) was unanimously 
elected President of the Board. The institution has, at 
all times, had the advantage of his wise counsels, effi- 
cient aid, and ardent devotion, and of his presence and 
immediate co-operation with his associates, whenever 
demanded by matters of unusual or special importance. 12 
Here, as well as in all other similar positions, he has 
ever consulted the highest and most enduring good of 
the interests committed to his charge, without regard to 
the prejudices or the more apparent benefits of the hour 
or the day, or any mere personal claims or advantages. 
His wisdom and experience, his independence, decision 
and energy, and his unflinching integrity have made him 
a most valuable guardian of all the affairs of this great 
public charity. 
It is, however, with Dr. Beck as a writer that we have 
at present especially to do, and we will close this sketch 
by a notice of his editorial connection with this Journal, 
and his great work on Medical Jurisprudence. 
In April, 1844, the first number of the American 
Journal of Insanity was issued from the press, occu- 
pying an entirely new field in the medical literature of 
this country. The generous motive which led Dr. Brig- 
ham, its founder and first editor, to assume, in addition 
to his onerous duties as Superintendent of a large asy- 
lum, the labor and responsibility of its establishment, is 
well known to most of our readers. To many of his 
colleagues and professional friends he was largely in- 
debted for encouragement in his undertaking, and for 
much valued and gratefully acknowledged assistance: 
among them, Dr. Beck, who, deeply interested in the 
attainment of the ends at which the Journal aimed, 
warmly seconded his efforts, and, amid many other en- 
gagements, found sufficient time to contribute frequently 13 
and ably to its pages. After Dr. Brigham's death, the 
Managers of the State Lunatic Asylum, aware of the 
importance, to any specialty, of a periodical devoted to 
its advancement and interest, assumed the entire re- 
sponsibility of its publication, and, by their unanimous 
request, induced Dr. Beck to edit the ensuing volume. 
He gave his consent, hoping at the close of the year to 
be relieved of a care which, with his other numerous 
duties, was a heavy tax; but, in the absence of any 
other arrangement, he continued to conduct it until the 
close of the last volume, when "advancing years and 
more imperative duties" compelled him to relinquish 
his editorial connection. 
In the theme of his inaugural dissertation at the Med- 
ical College, and in the subject of many of his literary 
efforts, we perceive how early and closely his attention 
has been drawn to insanity and its legal relations. 
From a knowledge of his character, it is very natural to 
suppose that this interest was awakened, not only to the 
intrinsic merit of the subject, but also by the then very 
general feeling that this department of medical literature 
was indeed most barren. How well he succeeded in 
his effort to supply this deficiency is evidenced by the 
multiplied editions of his "Medical Jurisprudence" 
which have already been called for. Since its first issue 
from the press, in 1823, in two large octavo volumes, of 
nearly two thousand pages, it has passed through five 
American, one German and four London editions. The 14 
favorable reception of this work in foreign countries, at 
a time when national feeling in the medical world was 
stronger than at any previous or subsequent period, 
shows how completely its merits disarmed every pre- 
judice. Says a bibliographer, in a notice of the German 
edition: "Among the numerous and unequivocal evi- 
dences of the very high estimation in which Dr. Beck's 
' Elements of Jurisprudence ' are held by the profession 
in Europe, their translation into the German language 
must be regarded as the most flattering and decisive 
indication of their true value. In no country has this 
interesting and varied science been prosecuted with 
such unabated zeal, or have so much research and learn- 
ing been elicited on its several curious topics, as in 
Germany. From the time of Zaccbias, indeed, to the 
present day, it has been the favorite object of study 
with German physicians, and their opinions of the mer- 
its of any treatise on the subject are therefore entitled 
to the highest weight and the most respectful consider- 
ation. Proud are we, therefore, to see them prize the 
performance of our learned countryman so highly as to 
deem it worthy of transfusion into their vernacular 
tongue. In his native language his work is as yet 
without a parallel." 
His labors in this field did not cease with the publica- 
tion of his great work, but, for many years afterward, 
besides the emendation and supervision of subsequent 
editions, he contributed largely upon the same subject 15 
to various medical periodicals. A distinguished writer, 
in reviewing a copy of the tenth edition, for Hay's 
American Journal of Medical Science, remarks: " The 
pages of this Journal, for years past, have borne con- 
stant evidence of the untiring and invaluable research of 
Dr. Beck, whose observations and extracts from foreign 
and domestic sources have filled that portion of it de- 
voted to medical jurisprudence ; and the writer of the 
present notice bears his testimony to the same effect; 
for, having taken much interest in the subject, and con- 
sequently had occasion to examine the journals, he 
found it impossible to furnish a single, novelty to this 
department in which he had not been anticipated by 
Dr. Beck." In both the medical and legal periodicals 
of the day there have, from time to time, with succes- 
sive editions of his work, appeared many and varied 
notices and reviews-flattering evidence of its merit, 
and the high estimation of both professions. From some 
of these it would give us pleasure to extract; but the 
work has already received the stamp of worth, has 
taken its place as high authority, and acquired for itself 
and its author a most extended reputation.