Shell-shock and other neuropsychiatric problems : $b Presented in five hundred and eighty-nine case histories from the war literature, 1914-1918Southard, Elmer Ernest
History
Shell-shock and other neuropsychiatric problems : $b Presented in five hundred and eighty-nine case histories from the war literature, 1914-1918
Southard, Elmer Ernest
War neuroses; World War, 1914-1918 -- Medical care; World War, 1914-1918 -- Psychological aspects
A soldier, 29 (father alcoholic, died in hospital for the insane),
a decorative painter without plumbic history, non-alcoholic,
non-syphilitic, was wounded once, September, 1914, but returned to the
front in 1915.
May, 1915, a shell burst near him. He lost consciousness, regained it a
few days later at Brest, and was so far recovered that he could go on
leave in seven days. While on leave, he had short attacks of delirium,
followed by a total amnesia; there was, however, no crisis, fall, or
convulsion. After the first attack, he had for 24 hours malaise and
headache, but got well and went back to his dépôt. Shortly afterward
more attacks of this sort recurred, and he went to hospital and thence
to the neurological centre at Tours. Whence, August 9, 1915, he got a
two-months’ leave for “mental disorder post-confusional, _second état_,
probably hysterical (_commotio cerebri_), and organic hemiparesis.”
November, 1915, after returning to the dépôt, there were more spells
and he went again to hospital. Invalided December, 1915, he passed a
year at home, but the spells continued. Although the epileptic nature
of these attacks was maintained by Francais at Évreux, he was placed in
the auxiliaries, December, 1916, but had to go to hospital almost at
once, and, February 28, 1917, entered the neurological centre of the
9th Region for the second time. Here, when called to be examined two
days after admission, he was observed in an attack. He suddenly rose
from the bench, made a few steps, seemed to be listening and anxious,
as if he ought to be on guard. He looked up, seemed to be looking for
something whose noise was approaching, lowered his head, made a slight
jerking movement, and said, “Poum!” as if to express the noise of an
explosion. He took a few more steps, the same movements were repeated,
and the same “Poum!” was uttered. This lasted for about a quarter of
an hour, during which the patient was unaware of his surroundings. He
could be guided all about the hall without resistance, but did not
respond to orders, commands, noises, or contact. In short, the patient
was in the midst of a hallucinatory dream at his post in the trenches,
undergoing a bombardment. He was placed in a chair; remained motionless
for a few seconds, woke up, and answered questions. “Where am I? Oh,
yes; I must have been sick because my head feels bad.” In answer to
the question. “What did you see; what was there?”, he said, “I don’t
remember anything. I never remember. I don’t know.” The patient was
dull and weak after the spell.
These spells varied in number but occurred once a week. The patient was
able to tell of certain attacks that had occurred while he was out of
doors at home.
Now and then, there was another theme in the hallucinatory delirium,
namely, a pencil drawing of a woman’s picture, of no great artistic
worth but carefully done, at which the patient was much astonished on
awaking.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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