Richard Maurice Bucke
Richard Maurice Bucke was a 19th-century physician and author known for his progressive views on mental health and his influential work in mysticism. Born in Norfolk, England, he moved to Ontario, Canada, with his family at a young age. His early education came primarily from his father's extensive home library. At 16, Bucke left for the western United States to prospect for gold, but after suffering severe frostbite, he returned to Ontario to study medicine at McGill University, graduating in 1862.
Bucke's career included serving as superintendent at various asylums for the insane, where he advocated for humane treatment and the reduction of physical restraints. His friendship with the poet Walt Whitman deeply influenced his work, and he eventually became Whitman’s literary executor. Bucke is best known for his 1901 book, *Cosmic Consciousness*, where he explored three types of consciousness and shared insights from his own metaphysical experiences. He was also recognized as a charter member of the Royal Society of Canada and served as a professor at Western University. Bucke passed away in 1902, leaving behind a legacy in both psychiatry and mysticism.
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Richard Maurice Bucke
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- Born: March 18, 1837
- Birthplace: Methwold, Norfolk, England
- Died: February 19, 1902
- Place of death: London, Ontario, Canada
Biography
Richard Maurice Bucke, a nineteenth century physician and author, was born in Norfolk, England. He was the son of Horatio Bucke, a minister, and Clarissa Andrews. When Bucke was one year old, his father left the ministry and moved his family to Ontario, Canada. Bucke’s father owned a large collection of books and assembled a home library containing several thousand volumes in seven different languages. These books were the only source of Bucke’s early education. In 1853, at the age of sixteen, Bucke left home and journeyed to the western United States in order to prospect for gold and silver. In 1857, while traveling through the mountains in California, he suffered severe frostbite. This resulted in the amputation of one foot and the partial loss of his other.
In 1858, he returned home to Ontario, Canada, and attended McGill University, where he studied medicine. He graduated from McGill with a medical degree in 1862. In 1865, he married Jessie Maria Gurd. In 1876, Bucke obtained a position of superintendent at the Asylum for the Insane in Hamilton, Ontario, where he worked for one year before transferring to the London Asylum for the Insane in London, Ontario. At this time, Bucke became an avid reader of Walt Whitman’s work. In 1877, Bucke and Walt Whitman met and became close friends. Eventually, Bucke became Walt Whitman’s literary executor.
During Bucke’s career as an asylum physician, he advocated for a more progressive approach in the treatment of the mentally ill and sought to restrict the use of physical restraints on mental patients. In 1879, he published a work centered on his progressive psychiatric practices: Man’s Moral Nature. In 1901, Bucke’s most noted work, Cosmic Consciousness, was published. This work was a manifestation of his belief in three types of consciousness: simple self-awareness, moral consciousness, and cosmic consciousness. The last of these was a profoundly deep consciousness in which one becomes completely illuminated with knowledge of life and the order of the universe. Bucke claimed that this work was the direct result of his own personal metaphysical experience. Cosmic Consciousness became one of the standards in the field of mysticism. Bucke was a charter member of the Royal Society of Canada, and a distinguished professor at Western University in London, Ontario. He died in 1902.