John Jones (2456)

Admission Details for Patient: John Jones (2456)

Gender: Male Age: 21
Marital Status: Single Religion: Wesleyan Methodist
Occupation: Labourer
Address: Penrhyndeudraeth (admitted from police custody), Merioneth

Date of Admission: May 27, 1875
Date of Discharge: May 8, 1876
Discharge Category: Recovered

Disease: Acute mania
Supposed Cause: Heredity

Medical Certificate:
He talks in the most irrational incoherent manner stating he can work at all trades and that he is a member of all professions. Imitating preachers etc etc, showing full that the man is out of his mind. By the Police Officer: That yesterday he was very violent threatening to kill people and visiting several houses with that threat when, with difficulty, he with assistance took him into custody. R. Roberts, Portmadoc.

Approximate duration of present attack: Several Months

Number of Previous Attacks: 1

Number of Previous Admissions: 1

Number of Subsequent Admissions: 3

Total Number of Admissions: 5

Relatives affected: Grandmother died in this asylum and mother apt to get excited

Number of Previous Attacks: 1

Epileptic: No

Suicidal: No

Dangerous: Yes very

Clean Habit: Yes

Food Refusal: No

Sleep Habit: Bad

Destructive Habit: Yes, tearing everything in pieces

Disposition: Sober and industrious

Education: Bad

Physical/Mental State at Examination: Previous bodily health good. On admission good health and free from bruises. Middle height. Sanguinous temperament. Fairly nourished, lithe and active, ruddy healthy appearance. Tongue clean, eats well, bowels open. Heart sounds normal, impulse strong, accelerated. He was in an extremely excited condition on admission preaching, repeating portions of scripture etc. He recognised all the old attendants whom he has see before as well as several of the patients freely shaking hands with all of them.* Relieving Officer and Policeman had some difficulty in bringing him here. When brought the first time he was in this excited condition but for a very short period. Blue irides, pupils equal. Put in Padded Room.

Current Diagnosis: Bipolar Disorder (F31.0)

Case Notes

1875 May 28 - Very excited during the night.

He got a draught at bedtime which did not answer.

The night attendant came with another about 11 o'clock.

He was then very excited. Administered Chloral Hydrate.

Slept until morning.

May 29 - Repeat the draught.

In Padded Room.

May 30 - Quieter and rational. Still throwing his hands about although talking rationally.

June 4 - Improving daily. Has today commenced working in the garden.

Free from excitement.

Eats well. Sleeps better. Had a draught last night.

June 11 - Working daily in the garden, continues to improve, free from any excitement and talks rationally.

Sleeps and eats well. June 25 - This week had a recurrence of the mania, shouting and singing and jumping about.

He was given a Chloral mixture and placed in Padded Room to sleep but not placed in seclusion.

July 25 - The attack mentioned in last report lasted about 10 days after which he again commenced work and has continued to do so to the present date. Has required frequent night draughts.

He is now quiet and well behaved.

July 28 - Today he has had another relapse and commenced jumping, singing etc.

It will probably last some time.

Aug 18 - Has continued maniacal since the last report with the exception of two days, the fourth and fifth inst, during which he was quiet and free from excitement and we thought that he had recovered.

But it was only temporary.

On the 1st (Sept) he succeeded in escaping from the padded room.

He first smashed the window and then crept through.

He was found by the night attendant, concealed in an outhouse, but he came in quietly.

He had cut his forearm with the glass, the cut requiring a suture.

It is now healed.

Very noisy at night, has Chloral which quiets him.

Sept 16 - There is no improvement in his general condition, very variable, sometimes better and sometimes worse.

When he does improve it only lasts for a short time.

Sleeps in single room.

In good health.

1876 Feb 11 - Has been very much the same, occasionally becoming fairly quiet and then having a relapse. In good health. May 8 - Had continued to improve steadily and was discharged recovered.

Medications/Treatments: Chloral draughts, Padded room

Additional Notes

Previous admission:

This patient was first admitted on 8th October 1873 (Admission no. 2276) at age 20. He had his first attack at age 15 but was cared for at home

He may have been a cousin of Evan Williams, quarryman of Plasmeini (Admission no. 2614). A cousin of this name is mentioned in the 1882 record.

Both are recorded as having a grandmother, Mary Evans, who died in the asylum.

Readmissions::

16th May 1878 (no. 2772). Medical Certificate reads: Talking most incoherently, jumping in the street in fact shewing every symptom of a person of unsound mind.

The Police Officer informed one of his throwing stones at people breaking his watch and other similar symptoms of insanity.

R. Roberts, Portmadoc, MRCS Eng. Diagnosed with Acute Mania and discharged recovered on 26th June 1879.

7th June 1882 (no. 3269).

Medical Certificate reads: His appearance is wild and his conversation erratic. One day I saw him breaking up a path saying it was his duty to do so to prevent people falling, at the same time using most offensive language.

His inclination to wander at large and becoming very violent, dangerous to all about him and to himself, requiring restraint, in fact his appearance and actions are indicative of a person of unsound mind. By his parents and others: Throwing knives and forks through the window into the street and running after people. R. Roberts, Portmadoc, MRCS Eng. Diagnosed with Mania and discharged recovered on 22nd June 1886.

5th June 1890 (no. 4194).

Medical Certificate reads: Seven years ago I certified that he was a person of unsound mind, he was taken to the Denbigh Asylum and was detained there for three years.

I find that he is now most incoherent in his speech and unruly and very excited in his manner, in fact indicating a person of unsound mind. His father, Richard Jones, Butcher, Church St, Penrhyndeudraeth, informs me that he had to go to fetch him from South Wales where he found him suffering from unsoundness of mind and brought him home and that he Jno Jones has been detained in the Asylum on four different occasions. Robert Roberts of Portmadoc, Surgeon.

Diagnosed with Mania and discharged ‘relieved’ to the Workhouse on 18th February 1902.