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
Three full doses of Kharsivan freed him from delusions and left him
apparently absolutely sane. It was recommended that he should be kept
at Haslar to continue treatment. However, he had been certified insane
and was therefore sent to Yarmouth, from which he was discharged in
February, 1917, having been in good mental health throughout his stay
there.
_Re_ syphilis and general paresis of military officers, as in Cases 1
and 2, Russo-Japanese experience was already at hand. Autokratow saw
paretic Russian officers sent to the front in early but still obvious
phases of disease. These paretics and various arteriosclerotics,
Autokratow saw back in Russia in the course of a few months.
_Re_ naval cases, see also Case 5 (Beaton). Beaton thinks that
monotonous ship duty, alternating with critical stress of service,
bears on morale and liberates mental disorder.
Neurosyphilis may be aggravated or accelerated under war conditions.
=Case 3.= (WEYGANDT, May, 1915.)
A German, long alcoholic and thought to be weakminded, volunteered, but
shortly had to be released from service. He began to be forgetful and
obstinate, cried, and even appeared to be subject to hallucinations.
The pupils were unequal and sluggish. The uvula hung to the right.
The left knee-jerk was lively, right weak. Fine tremors of hands.
Hypalgesia of backs of hands. Stumbling speech. Attention poor.
It appeared that he had been infected with syphilis in 1881 and in 1903
had had an ulcer of the left leg.
The military commission denied that his service had brought about the
disease.
=Case 4.= (HURST, April, 1917.)
An English colonel thought himself perfectly fit when he went out with
the original Expeditionary Force. He had had leg pains, regarded as
due to rheumatism or neuritis. He was invalided home after exhaustion
on the great retreat. He was now found to be suffering from a severe
tabes. He improved greatly under rest and antisyphilitic treatment. He
has now returned to duty.
=Case 5.= (BEATON, May, 1915.)
An apparently healthy man, serving on an English battle-ship, severed
a tendon in a finger. The injury was regarded as minor. The tendon was
sutured and the wound healed. During the man’s convalescence he was
accidentally discovered to have an Argyll-Robertson pupil and some
excess reflexes. Neurosyphilis had probably antedated the accident. But
from the moment of this trivial injury, the disease advanced rapidly.
Overwork in service; several months exacting work well performed:
General paresis.
=Case 6.= (BOUCHEROT, 1915.)
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