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
He had in his 20th year become infected with syphilis, and had recently
become forgetful, subject to fears, and easily excitable. He had been
very unhappily married with a woman who was hysterical and threatened
to shoot and poison him. He lived in a condition of continual quarrels
with her. The symptoms that he felt on the march were numbness of the
legs and a rush of blood to the head. In the clinic, he was subject
to much dreaming and raving about the war. There was excessive
perspiration.
1. As to the proper interpretation of this case, details
are lacking as to the physical and laboratory side. In
fact, it would appear that the suspicion of paresis at his
first reception in a clinic was dismissed without resort to
laboratory findings.
There are no neurological symptoms in the case clearly
suggestive of neurosyphilis, except perhaps the numbness of
the legs. The remainder of the picture appears to be entirely
psychic. Sensory and intellectual symptoms are missing unless
we count the war dreams and mania as intellectual. It appears
wiser to count these as emotional in the sense that they were
roused by emotion-laden memories. The fear, perspiration, and
feelings of head flush are perhaps to be best interpreted as
satellites about an emotional nucleus.
Hysterical chorea versus neurosyphilis.
=Case 14.= (DE MASSARY and DU SONICH, April, 1917.)
There were various complications in the case of a lieutenant (nervous
tic in childhood; travel 23 to 30), who was at Antwerp during the
period of mobilization. He was taken there by the Germans; was a
prisoner in their hands for 55 days; and succeeded under great strain
in escaping.
He then entered his regiment, and, passing the examinations, was
made an adjutant, and went to the front, March, 1915. He stayed ten
months in the Verdun region, under heavy bombardment, and in June was
bowled over and buried by a 210. He seemed to be fearless, getting no
sensation from shell-bursts except a griping sensation in the bowels.
However, his character had altered in the direction of irritability;
and by the end of January, 1916, he had to be evacuated for the
first time from the front, for general weakness, with the diagnoses:
neurasthenia, neuralgia, dyspeptic troubles, great general fatigue,
marked depression. In fact, at Narbonne he was asked no questions
for several days on account of his obvious depression. He was given
ice-bags for violent headaches, complete rest in bed, cacodylate and
sodium nucleinate. In two weeks he was up and about.
At this time appeared choreiform movements, which reached their maximum
in two or three days, whereupon he was sent, March 4, 1916, to the
neurological centre at Montpellier. Here W. R. positive! Neosalvarsan
on the second injection (0.45 and 0.60) yielded a strong reaction, with
fever, delirium, vomiting, and then jaundice.
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