Dear Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe,
I left an application at your office in Bromfield Street yesterday on behalf of James [Doe] who desires to have his son admitted into the Institution for Feeble-minded Youth. James is an industrious man who has been employed as a gardener by my father and myself, more or less, for the last four years. His boy has grown to be exceedingly troublesome, escaping from home as often as possible and causing his parents much anxiety. Of late they have felt obliged to confine him in the cellar during the father's enforced daily absence. I beg you will give the case your kind consideration, assured that it is a worthy one and deserving prompt treatment.
Very respectfully yours,
William [Doe] July 7, 1841
Audio: Letter on behalf of a patient
