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
To return to the Claude-Lhermitte case of limited true tetanus:
It showed marked modifications in the tendon and bone reflexes.
Upon percussion of the zygoma, of the occiput, or of the clavicle,
there was a marked further contraction in the contractured muscles.
Although there was no apparent spasticity in the legs, there was an
ankle clonus and a bilateral patella clonus, combined with a distinct
exaggeration of all bone and tendon reflexes. In such cases also there
is hyperexcitability of the nerves and muscles to faradic and galvanic
currents.
An officer’s letter concerning local tetanus.
=Case 121.= (TURRELL, January, 1917.)
The following letter from an officer who had had local tetanus and was
treated by Turrell by ionization Dec. 6 and 7, 1915, by diathermia Dec.
7 to 22, and occasionally by static breeze ionization and chlorine
ion to relieve contractions from Dec. 29, 1915, to Feb. 4, 1916. The
tetanus was in the muscles of the legs. Of course diathermia is a
purely symptomatic treatment and does not replace antitoxin serum or
other specific treatment; thus its effect in relieving the contractions
of local tetanus is precisely like its effect in the treatment of
sciatic neuritis or lumbago.
November 15, 1916.
“Dear Major Turrell,
“I have been meaning to write to you for some time, as I knew
you would be interested to hear how I was getting on. Your
letter has just been received, and I am only too happy to give
you any information I can with regard to my leg. I was wounded
in the left leg on October 13, 1915, by high explosive shell,
and arrived at Oxford on October 22. There was no operation as
the surgeon in charge did not consider it advisable to remove
the pieces of shell: my leg seemed to be getting better, and
after about a month I was able to hobble round with sticks. My
foot at this time used to swell a great deal towards night,
and the foot seemed then to gradually stiffen up with violent
pains at intervals, this gradually spread up the whole leg to
about the knee, and I was compelled to take to my bed again.
The pain at times was very bad, similar to a very bad attack of
cramps, and then my leg became rigid and stiff, and at other
times used to get horrible jumps and it was impossible to keep
it still, and whenever the doctor or nurse looked at it it
used to stiffen up at once. The night seemed to be the worst,
and consequently I got very little sleep. I often had to get
up in the middle of the night on crutches to try and obtain
relief, my leg was so cramped and sore. It was about this time
that you first visited me and prescribed a course of electric
treatment for my leg, and I shall never be able to thank you
enough for the relief it gave me. I cannot remember the names
of the different treatments, but the first one--diathermy, or
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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