The Rising Mercury

The Social Circle

At a time when patients spent some considerable time at our Hospital recovering from TB, they found various ways to occupy their spare time. A Social Circle was formed in 1925 to organise these activities and entertainments.

The Social Circle first published a patient magazine in around 1928 called The Rising Mercury. The name of the magazine referred to the regular monitoring of the patients temperature as a key indicator of their state of health.

Rising Mercury Magazine 1951

Rising Mercury Magazine 1948

The magazine contained a selection of cartoons, one of which is drawn by Gordon Lauste who was a patient at Benenden for 11 years.

The Rising Mercury Magazine cartoon by Gordon Lauste

The Rising Mercury Magazine cartoon

The Rising Mercury Magazine Cartoon

The Poetic Patients

Here are a selection of poems written for the patient magazine, most of which make fun of themselves and their treatment regime.

The Rising Mercury

The Rising Mercury

The Rising Mercury

The Rising Mercury