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
The _Horme_ (Jung) was elusive. A dream: “I was in a cargo boat in
the river; we were steering straight into ferry and harbor. The pilot
rang down ‘Full speed to stern’; I pushed him out of the way, and rang
down ‘Full speed ahead, two points to starboard.’ We went straight
past ferry and harbor without accident.” Again, a few days later, “In
a motor car, came to some rocks which sprang up in front of me. The
machine broke down. I abandoned it and clambered over the rocks. It was
tough work. My object was a ship. I got to the ship, took hold of the
wrench, and signalled ‘Let go.’” Herein, according to Eder, are certain
obvious symbolic conversions.
Antebellum attacks, with dizziness: Fainting on horseback. Neurasthenia.
=Case 179.= (BINSWANGER, July, 1915.)
A harness-maker, 37, a corporal, was called to the colors on the second
day of mobilization. He was attacked by a slight dizziness in the
evening (see previous history below). He went into the field on August
7 and had repeated attacks of dizziness, despite which he took part in
several skirmishes. He could not ride on horseback, since dizziness,
ringing in the ears, headaches, and trembling of the whole body would
develop. October 27 a severe fainting attack came while he was sitting
on a horse. He woke ten hours later, vomited several times and felt
dazed. Two weeks later hearing in the right ear began to be impaired.
During several transfers from hospital to hospital near the East front,
there were two more severe attacks of dizziness and vomiting. Brought
back to Germany, the patient finally came to the Jena Hospital, May 20.
The estimate of this case depends somewhat on the previous history. He
appears to have come from a healthy family, was married, and had two
healthy children. His bodily and mental development had been normal;
he had been an unusually good scholar, but he stammered from his tenth
year without apparent reason. He had had treatment in an institution
for stammerers at 17, achieving a complete cure in six weeks. His
military service was as a cavalryman, 1897-1900, after which he had
married. There was no excess in alcohol; he was not a smoker. From his
own account, he had always been somewhat nervous, had trembled easily,
and had fallen to stammering when excited. In 1913 there had occurred,
after physical exertion, three violent attacks of fainting, with
dizziness, vomiting, and excessive perspiration, each attack lasting
from two to three hours. However, from that time to just before the
war, he had been free from attacks.
On examination at the Jena Hospital, the patient complained of general
weariness, a feeling of pressure in the back of his head, a hammering
all over the head, ringing in the right ear, impairment of hearing in
this ear, a feeling of dizziness on raising the head, palpitation of
heart, especially at night, occasional trembling of the whole body, and
absolute inability to walk.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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