James Tilly Matthews was delusional. He believed that secret gangs of people were operating across London, using a bizarre machine called the "Air Loom" to control his thoughts and those of others from a distance. According to Matthews, this device emitted "magnetic fluids" to manipulate minds and was being wielded by spies to influence political decisions.
Matthews’ paranoia, as a modern psychiatrist would say, is a textbook case of schizophrenia—a mental disorder that affects 24 million people worldwide, yet has a remarkably short recorded history. Unlike depression and mania, which are recognizable in ancient texts, schizophrenia-like disorders only began appearing in psychiatric literature in the past two hundred years. This could mean that either the disease is a recent manifestation that was largely unknown in earlier times, or that it existed but lumped together with more general concepts of madness. What makes Matthews’ case unique is that he lived in the late 18th century, and an entire book was written detailing his delusions. This makes Matthews the first fully documented case of schizophrenia.
The Air Loom. Illustration by James Tilly Matthews
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