Observations on Insanity: With Practical Remarks on the Disease and an Account of the Morbid Appearances on Dissection — John Shaqi
Observations on Insanity: With Practical Remarks on the Disease and an Account of the Morbid Appearances on DissectionHaslam, John
Science
Observations on Insanity: With Practical Remarks on the Disease and an Account of the Morbid Appearances on Dissection
Haslam, John
Mental illness
M. L. a woman aged thirty-eight, was admitted into the house June 11,
1796. From the information of the people who had attended her, it
appeared, that she had been disordered six weeks, and that the disease
took place shortly after the death of her husband. At the first attack
she was violent, but she soon became more calm. She conceived that the
overseers of the parish, to which she belonged, meditated her destruction:
afterwards she supposed them deeply enamoured of her, and that they were
to decide their claims by a battle. During the time she continued in the
hospital she was perfectly quiet, although very much deranged. She fancied
that a young man, for whom she had formerly entertained a partiality, but
who had been dead some years, appeared frequently at her bed-side in a
state of putrefaction, which left an abominable stench in her room. Soon
after she grew suspicious, and became apprehensive of evil intentions in
the people about her. She would frequently watch at her door, and, when
asked the reason, replied, that she was fully aware of a design, which had
been formed, to put her secretly to death. Under the influence of these
opinions she continued to her death, which took place on February 8,
1797, in consequence of a violent rheumatic fever. She was opened twelve
hours after death. There were two opake spots on the tunica arachnoidea:
the pia mater was slightly inflamed: there was a general congestion of
blood in the whole contents of the cranium: the consistence of the brain
did not differ from what is found in an healthy state.
CASE XXI.
H. C. a woman of about sixty-five years of age, had been admitted on the
incurable establishment in the year 1788. I have not been able to collect
any particulars of her former history. During the time I had an
opportunity of seeing her, she continued in a very violent and irritable
state: it was her custom to abuse every one who came near her. The
greatest part of the day was passed in cursing the persons she saw about
her; and when no one was near, she usually muttered some blasphemy to
herself. She died of a fever on February 19, 1797, on the fourth day after
the attack. She was opened two days after death. The arachnoid membrane
was, in many parts, without its natural transparency: the pia mater was
generally suffused with blood, and its vessels were enlarged: the
consistence of the brain was firm.
CASE XXII.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account