Thomas Nadauld Brushfield was an English alienist and antiquarian.
Background
Born in London on 10 December 1828, he was son of Thomas Brushfield, Justice of the Peace and D.L. of the Tower of London, by his wife Susannah Shepley. His grandfather George Brushfield married Ann Nadauld, great granddaughter of Henri Nadauld, a Huguenot sculptor.
Education
He was educated at a private boarding school at Buckhurst Hill in Essex, and matriculated with honours at London University in 1848. He became member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1850 and graduated Doctor of Medicine
Career
At Street Andrews University in 1862. After serving as house surgeon at the London Hospital he joined Doctor John Millar at Bethnal House Asylum, London. In 1852 Brushfield was appointed house surgeon to Chester County Lunatic Asylum, and was first resident medical superintendent from 1854 until 1865.
In 1865 he was appointed medical superintendent of the then planned Surrey County Asylum at Brookwood.
The buildings there were planned in accordance with his suggestions, and later on he helped to design the Cottage Hospital there. Brushfield was a pioneer of the non-restraint treatment of lunatics, and he sought to lighten the patients" life in asylums by making the wards cheerful and by organising entertainments.
He retired on a pension in 1882. On his retirement Brushfield settled at Budleigh Salterton, on the east Devon coast, near Hayes Barton, the birthplace of Sir Walter Ralegh.
Brushfield made the career of Ralegh his main study for the rest of his life.
He was a popular lecturer in the West Country. He died at Budleigh Salterton on 28 November 1910, and was buried there. Brushfield"s lantern slides went to the Exeter Public Library, with some of the major Ralegh items from his library.
The rest of his library of about 10,000 volumes and manuscripts was dispersed after his death.
As reader for the New English Dictionary, he contributed over 72,000 slips.
Membership
He became a member of the Devonshire Association in 1882, was elected to the council in 1883, and was president in 1893-1894.