Insanity : its dependence on physical disease ... / by John P. Gray.

  • John P. Gray
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Insanity : its dependence on physical disease ... / by John P. Gray. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    and finally recovered. Botli these women were feeble and anaemic, tlie blood lessened in quantity, and depre- ciated in quality. I could present, from my recorded experience, a num- ber of sucb illustrations, showing the appreciation of insanity and the dominating power of mind. In the wards of the asylum this is a daily experience. Pa- tients not only recognize that they are insane, but make every effort at control; and many take food and exer- cise,—to both of which they feel the extremest repug- nance,—simply as a duty, and stimulated by the ho]3e of recovery held out to them, and which hope they only faintly grasp. While writing I am interrupted by the admission of two cases, a man and woman. The friends and physician of the man represent the case as a recent one, dating but a few weeks back to some eccentric con- duct ; and declare the case as somewhat remarkable, because they can find no cause for the insanity. Yet a careful examination shows that the man Las been stead- ily breaking down in general health for two years. That he is generally ansemic, and has cerebral anaemia to such a degree that his pupils are not only enormously dilated, but scarcely contract at all under the infiuence of light. He has hallucinations of sight and hearing, from this condition. He moves about the office like a man half dreaming: admits he is sick, but does not see why he should be called crazy. When asked how he reconciles certain conduct with sanity, says he never was guilty of it. When all the circumstances are rela- ted to him, he replies, I have some recollection of that, but I do not know why I did it. He has great muscu-