Lund, Helmut Christian (1958-c.2000)

The following is an interim description which may change when detailed cataloguing takes place in future.

Papers of Helmut Christian Lund, known as Chris or Christopher Lund, a schizophrenic patient. Contains loose notes, songs and poems, and drawings by Chris Lund. He had a fascination with music and sound, and many of the notes describe tape recorders and how he broke them up. Some of the notes contain anagrams for various thoughts, many of which have religious overtones. Also includes some letters between Chris and his mother, birthday cards, and 5-10 small photographs of Chris.

c.1965-2000

1 transfer box

The archives were given to the library at Wellcome Collection by Dr Eva Wagner, half-sister of Chris Lund, in May 2012.

Helmut Christian Lund was born in July 1958 in Scotland. He was known as Chris or Christopher Lund. He was the only child of the second marriage of his mother Mrs Lund. The marriage was apparently an unhappy one and resulted with the father leaving. Mrs Lund appeared to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia, but was never formally diagnosed as having this.

Chris and his mother moved to Oxford to live with Eva Wagner, his half-sister, in 1966. Chris moved schools on several occasions and eventually he moved back to Scotland in 1976. Shortly after, Chris was diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia. He was sent to a psychiatric teaching hospital in Edinburgh, then a community health centre. After attempting suicide he was sent back to the teaching hospital. He was released from time to time to see his father, while his mother remained in Oxford. On one occasion he mixed alcohol with his medication and started a fire in the house whilst his father slept. As a result he was arrested and sent to Soughton Prison in Edinburgh for 9 weeks. After his trial in October 1978 he was sent to State Hospital in Carstairs. He remained in Carstairs from 1978 until c.1986. He also spent time in Littlemore in Oxford in 1989, Wallingford in 1993, Llaneth Court in Wales, and then back to Littlemore where he died c.2000.

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