Elizabeth Pierce (2478)

Admission Details for Patient: Elizabeth Pierce (2478)

Gender: Female Age: 54
Marital Status: Single Religion: Unknown
Occupation: None
Address: Maenan (admitted from workhouse), Carnarvonshire

Date of Admission: July 21, 1875
Date of Death: August 24, 1875
Cause of Death: Pleurisy/Syncope

Disease: Idiot
Supposed Cause: Unknown

Medical Certificate:
Says that her brother's corpse is moved from one place to the other in the house and that he is not the right brother but a husband of her sister in law who is in the asylum now although his body is at home (patient's home address). By Mrs Jones, Matron of Llanrwst Workhouse: Said that she came to her very violently and said that she had neither a relation a weaver or a tailor and many other frivolous things with much excitement. The other day she said that she was much afraid that Mrs Jones would smother her in bed. W. E. Hughes, MRCS, LSA, Llanrwst.

Approximate duration of present attack: Always the same

Number of Previous Attacks: 999

Number of Previous Admissions: 0

Number of Subsequent Admissions: 0

Total Number of Admissions: 1

Relatives affected:

Number of Previous Attacks: 999

Epileptic: No

Suicidal: Yes

Dangerous: No

Clean Habit: Yes

Food Refusal: No

Sleep Habit: Bad

Destructive Habit: No

Disposition:

Education: Bad

Physical/Mental State at Examination: In good health. Very fat with large pendulous mammae, flabby muscles. Lungs emphysematous. Was a little excited on admission and had, as might have been expected, an empty expression of countenance. Has always been the same only has recently been getting more excited and unmanageable. Threatening to do away with herself but did not say how. Thinks that she is in the Workhouse and looks terrified frequently. Quite incoherent. Was an inmate of the Workhouse for the last few weeks. Clean and not destructive. Hazel irides, pupils dilated but equal. Placed in No 4 to sleep in large room.

Current Diagnosis: Learning Disability

Case Notes

1875 July 22 - Slept well last night. Eating her food well. Wants to go away saying that she is in the Workhouse.

July 23 - Appears timid and fretful and unhappy.

Eats and sleeps well.

July 24 - Quiet and free from excitement.

Does not speak and when she replies to any question there is no reason in it.

Objected very much to being examined. July 31 - Will never be any be any different, quite idiotic, very bad tempered. Aug 20 - Has had an attack of diarrhoea and vomiting which was checked by Mist. Creta. Is now confined to bed from an attack of pleurisy with effusion on left side which however is not likely to prove very dangerous.

Aug 21 - Applied poultices to the back of her chest which however she would not allow to remain on.

She would not take any medicine.

Aug 22 - Breathing is embarrassed and aspiration accelerated. Very restless but not dangerously ill.

Aug 24 - This morning she died very suddenly.

For two or three nights she had been very noisy - disturbing the patients in the infirmary ward and it was determined to remove her to a single room.

This was done about seven o'clock.

She walked very well and required hardly any support and lay on the new bed apparently as usual.

But she had not been there a few moments when she suddenly gasped and died.

No post mortem was allowed.

Medications/Treatments: Mist Creta, Poultices to back of chest