HOSPITAL NOTES:1
Ethel D: 74: Memory worse on death of husband – – – wanders around house to get milk from icebox, putting it back under her bed, making days out of nights and nights out of days, thinking at times that she is in winter during the summer and vice versa. Unable to say how old she is. Daughters wanted to improve mother’s condition. Diet? Piano lessons?
40 year old sewing machine salesman. Unusual symptom for him of depression. Tried to deal with it through active physical exercise at the Y, outdoor interests and, on occasion, prayer. Complains of absence of zip and drive which he formerly had in large quantities. Not selling as well as he used to. Job performed from 6–9 in evenings. Chronic eczema.
Ida M: 50: Jewish. Husband has ignored her for past 3 years. Only coming home late at night to sleep. Nervous, ill-tempered, impatient man. Constantly referring to her as a crazy deaf-mute. Against her going to any doctors. Will not get a divorce but tells her to. Dates present “sad” state of mind to marriage 12 years ago – – – followed courtship of over 10 years. Brought from Russia when a baby. Husband a cab driver.
Catherine B: 51: Intolerable behavior of husband. Extremely jealous and almost since time of marriage accused her of infidelity as well as having doubted the paternity at various times of various of their children. Extremely suspicious of wife – – – suspecting her every move and association. Things became quite intense about 4 years ago when he doubted paternity of certain of his children and demanded blood tests. Two times made gestures of killing wife. Husband constantly ranting and raving in very boisterous fashion, accusing her at the top of his lungs of infidelity.
Dominic R: Italian, West End. Mother & father first cousins. Two other children born paralyzed, blind, eventually died. Father a fisherman. Nervous about being knifed in the back. On guard duty in Korea began to read books on nervousness, seen in pamphlets advertised on subway. Crying jags.
25 year old twice-married once-divorced mother of three. “I hate my children”. Fear of dark. Sleeps fully dressed.
Job: poultry company. Eviscerator of chickens. Loves job, really loves chickens, can eat them raw. Loves macaroni. Eats 1 lb dry weight at a time. Constantly asks mother for more food.
Sister Jean Marie: Catholic nun. Evaluated for noises in her ear. Gave up teaching position as principal at Academy. Feeling of head being big as though she were dizzy or faint. Noises sounded articulated but generally indistinguishable – – – few words heard. Rhythmic repetitions of Arizona or Amen. Also: angry woman’s voice shouting high and a man’s voice, pitched low but could not distinguish what they were saying. Other sensations – – – strumming of a low-pitched cello and other non-human voices.
Emily P: Invisible person in the house having sexual relations with her at night. Also with two sons and that she has heard various voices along with strange noises like there are many telephones rigged up in the house. Also complains of unpleasant odors emanating from her family. She is referred to in papers and on radio as being crazy – – – both talking about her in many indirect ways. Suspicious her family is attempting to poison her. Husband says wife has bought long knives and has threatened his death. He has buried the knives.
Laura D: Mother did not accept child’s death. Withdrew literally and stopped talking. Has not recalled much of incidents surrounding illness, death and burial. Has “seen” and “talked” with daughter on occasions since. Occasions very real to patient. Child told her she was going to stay with God and patient should not cry. Two days ago “saw” child at a religious ceremony and fainted.
Laura R. Floridly tinted orange hair. Hat-check girl. Models in nude for photographer. Lesbian girlfriend.
Valborg M: Norwegian. Father: farmer & alcoholic in Minnesota.
Corinne H
Wesley B
Robert U
Mae W
Andrew A
Marcia L: Father, a man with no mouth.
Dorothy S: Nightmares: saw own head amputated but hanging on by skin.
Mannie L
Perry B
Arlene R
Mary M: dream: working at bedside of man resembling one of former patients who is middle-aged and has family and who was very friendly to her but no improperly so. In dream, while in bedroom, went to closet and looked into laundry bag and found five heads. Four were those of children whom she cannot identify. The fifth head was that of her mother as she appeared when patient was a child.
Engaged to a man with a glass eye. 4 years ago: neighbor’s dog in back yard barked at night and not only noise, but population in town was increasing. Owing to efforts of her husband there are no longer any dogs in her town … unable to see insomnia as a result of tensions in herself and continues to blame it on dogs in the neighborhood. (I do feel I have a schizophrenic patient between my hands).
Ferrara: Fear of heart attack. Average day: 7:30 takes puppy out for a walk around the block. Goes and meets other fellows who may not be at work that day and they have a beer or two. Then returns home in mid-morning and watches TV shows. Wife may take children to beach for an outing but he stays home “because he is afraid something might happen.” Foreman in Boston Molasses Factory.
Philip S: Feels guilty of father’s death. Contractor: doorknobs and windows. Left father’s business & set up on own. Father died while patient was at Country Club at a party.
Francis M: 39, epileptic. Unmarried cemetary worker. Chief complaint – – – wants to be able to make friends and go out with girls. Steady job at Cambridge cemetary, tending flowers. Very shy. Spends most of free time at home listening to records, or going to movies, feeling constantly alone.
Spero P: 34 years old. White, single elementary school principal. Fears asphyxia and death. Inability to maintain intense relationship with a girl when marriage is considered. Intensely absorbed in hatred of mother. Curses her as vain, inhuman, vicious, strict, stubborn, foul old woman who administered inhuman beatings upon him when young. Fear of own impotence. States he can excel at anything and can prove it to anyone. Can annihilate anyone in argument.
First husband lost at sea from private yacht.
Edward C: Episodic attacks in which he doesn’t feel himself. During attacks feels sense of unreality. When he watches TV he feels he is the one who is creating everything. Once a hurricane came and when the hurricane was over he felt it was he who had created the hurricane and all the damage that was done.
3rd year Harvard student majoring in government. Member of Quill and Scroll. Very ambitious. Wants to go to law school and into politics and reach the highest peak in political fields.
Barbara H: Felt something moving in her stomach. Might turn to animal or be pregnant, and have puppies. Turn into mule or horse. Thought she was growing hair on face. 35, married, white.
John M: 44, has lived in Medford for “three centuries”. Everything has to be perfect with
Philomena T. While making a cake found she’d left out one ingredient. Went crazy, pulling hair, banging fist, smashing hands against the wall.
Mary T: 67, married. Buttonhole-maker in factories.
Lillian J; 68 year old woman. Fascinating obsessional thought she’s pregnant. Boyfriend (52) for last 30 years. Won’t marry him. Sex play. Husband (first) died after 6 years marriage of TB. 11 room rooming house.
Martin R:
Edson F: Large plot going on. Raped in his sleep – – – “They put me to stud”. Produces a number of documents to indicate his existence. Birth certificate. Poll tax papers and naturalization papers.
Leonard R.
William H: 66, retired railroad expressman. Never developed any real interest or any resources within himself. Only sustained perfect source of gratification his job: an extremely efficient hard-working ionist.
Charles L
Robert H
Lillian E
Mary B
Arthur B: older looking than 46. Absence of teeth and grossly wrinkled skin.
Minnie L: People on Tv talked crazy talk and seemed mixed up. Newspapers seemed different and foolish. Awful tightness in her chest “like a bear was squeezing her” and she dreamed about things she’d seen on the TV during day. Middle-aged with scraggly hair and a single prominent tooth in upper jaw.
John M.
Mary Ellen J.
Aurora L: Father meat-cutter, husband undertaker.
John M: Machinist. Newton Ball Bearing Co. Engineer New England City Ice Co. Exterminator. Mightmare: grain of sand rested on chest, would increase in size to that of a house: sensation of smothering, being crushed.
Frank S: Tonsils and adenoids: cloth over eyes, ether: Thought he was in rollers of a cottonmill; fought to be free.
“I feel guilty over my ‘social malevolences’.” Dates onset of illnest from reading of The Rebel by Camus. Feels he has significantly hurt emotionally vulnerable people by threatening and distainful looks. In Germany felt desire to hurt or punish German people. Did this by threatening looks at passers-by. During this time felt personality more magnetic and powerful than that of most people.
Staircase: EW case: clerk runs for record, breaks head, internal injuries, dies. Electrician at Christmas: ladder falls in main lobby.
Secretary’s Meeting:
Dr. Crawford in Skin? He’s dead six or seven years. A patient said she had Dr. Crawford. Bick Avenue. “Oh I had BRECK.” Appointment slips.
Smoke in sunlight. Oval table polished. Silver jewelry in Mexico. Portraits in sepia of Civil War vintage doctors. Bookcases with glass doors. Green blinds. Three windows. Red and green curtains. Pink slips: refers: benches and wood chairs. Clock in box of blond wood. Pale green walls. Four light fixtures. Lamp bowls.
Are you going to Amputation? Yellow and blue slips. Room dedicated in 1892. Daily statistics: Coming down without clinic stamp or date. Some aren’t coming at all. Some aren’t added correctly. Box by opticians window. Clinic, month, year. Blank out date. Stamp sheets ahead.
Red folder records sent through my mistake instead of to Balcony. Bright red square eliminated. Cant have 100% perfect with thousands of records coming through. Hold box records posted in referral book.
Send slip to record room. Some hold indefinately. 15 day treatment. Record room infuriated when you call for a record in hold box.
National Diabetes Week, November 19 & 20. 1% unsuspected diabetes. Booths. So there you are girls.