P. L. (Patrick Livingston) Murphy

Born on October 23, 1848, in Sampson County, North Carolina, Patrick Livingston Murphy was educated at several leading schools in the state before studying medicine with a family physician and then at the University of Virginia and the University of Maryland, where he graduated in 1871. After a short period in general practice, he turned toward psychiatric medicine and took a post at the Western Virginia Asylum in Staunton to prepare for larger work.

In December 1882 he was chosen superintendent of the Western North Carolina Asylum in Morganton, beginning his duties in January 1883. Over the next quarter century he guided the institution through major growth, expanding its capacity dramatically and promoting a more humane approach to care. He opposed heavy reliance on restraints, encouraged occupational therapy, and argued that people with mental illness should be treated as patients rather than simply confined.

Murphy also became known for advocating language that reflected that belief, supporting the change from "asylum" to "hospital" in the names of North Carolina's state mental institutions. He died on September 11, 1907, but his work left a clear mark on the history of mental health care in the state.