Ann Hughes (4160)

Admission Details for Patient: Ann Hughes (4160)

Gender: Female Age: 75
Marital Status: Widowed Religion: Calvinist Methodist
Occupation: None
Address: Llysfaen, Carnarvonshire

Date of Admission: February 20, 1890
Date of Discharge: December 29, 1890
Discharge Category: Recovered

Disease: Melancholia
Supposed Cause: Not known

Medical Certificate:
1. (i) She will not reply to questions addressed to her. She will not take food, is restless, wanting continually to be going out. Her expression is that of a dazed person, with her hair hanging down, and which she is constantly pulling at. (ii) Other facts indicating Insanity communicated to me by her son, Henry: That he has been obliged to leave his work for a few days to look after her, she being so restless day and night. She does not sleep and will not take food. February 20th 1890. Price Morris, LRCPh Edin., Colwyn Bay.

Approximate duration of present attack: About 1 week

Number of Previous Attacks: 0

Number of Previous Admissions: 12

Number of Subsequent Admissions: 1

Total Number of Admissions: 14

Relatives affected:

Epileptic: No

Suicidal: No

Dangerous: No

Clean Habit: -

Food Refusal: -

Sleep Habit: -

Destructive Habit: -

Disposition: -

Education: -

Physical/Mental State at Examination: Health moderate.

Current Diagnosis: Bipolar Disorder (F31.3)

Case Notes

1890 Feb 27 - Patient is in a state of simple Melancholia. Low spirited and depressed - wishful to return home. Sleeps badly. Fair health. Mar 10 - A little better. Have sent her to Laundry. Apr 1 - Improving. Working steadily but is still depressed.

25 - Getting on. Aug 4 - Has passed from a condition of depression into one of high spirits. She is at present very troublesome being nasty and quarrelsome and continually creating a disturbance. No delusions. In W4.

Nov 13 - Has gradually calmed down and is now fit for discharge.

Dec 29 - Since last entry has suffered from a slight attck of Pul. Cong. being confined to bed for a week. Is now well again and was this day taken home by her daughter.

Discharged December 29th 1890.

Medications/Treatments:

Additional Notes

Previous admissions:

21st June 1873 to 19th September 1873 (no. 2247) with Acute Mania caused supposedly by 'pecuniary matters'. This was not her first attack. The Medical Certificate reads:

1. Nonsensical talk.

2. Unreasonable suggestions.

3. Imagination exaggerated. 4. Is fond of roaming about the country to dangerous places.

5. Religiously insane, fancies she has a devil in the house and said that she had been searching for him and found an old coin but would not produce the same on being asked.

6. Told me that some of her neighbours have got skeleton keys.

That everyone are thieves and accuses everyone that she meets of the same. Her memory seems particularly refreshed and scrapes up all that she remembers.

5th October 1874 to 22nd January 1875 (no. 2389) this time with a diagnosis of Chronic Mania. Medical Certificate reads:

She forms wrong ideas about things in general and has no hesitation in giving expression in a wild and excitable manner of what she thinks. She fancies that everything contains poison, she pursues imaginary demons, goes about in a wild and excitable manner.

She went to Thomas Ffoulkes, the Lodge House, for straw to burn devils in the chimney, supplementing it with her own clothes basket.

She also went to the Rectory at Llysfaen with her apron full of bones proving herself a nuisance to her neighbours.

4th June 1875 (no. 2462).

Medical Certificate reads: She labours under delusions and states that the bread, grocieries and snuff are all poisoned and at the same time she does not refrain from taking them for her own and others' use.

Has taken aversions to her own relations and without any cause states that her daughter has been sent to jail and that she deserves it.

She goes on her knees and assumes a perfect statuary position. Will sometimes get very wild, talkative and nonsensical.

By Mrs Jane Frazer, Grocer:

She has returned groceries which she had bought to the shop stating that they were poisoned.

By the Revd. S. Evans, Rector of Llysfaen: Her daughter has not been sent to jail and she dare not go home and is a very well behaved and deserving person.

Diagnosed with Recurrent Mania she was discharged recovered on 22nd September 1875.

20th October 1876 (no. 2622). Medical Certificate reads:

Her excited and violent appearance continually talking to herself and supposed companions.

She is under a false impression that persons now in her house are red devils.

She was very violent one night, shouting and wanting to run away.

By Revd Samuel Evans, the Rector of Llysfaen. Thomas Davies, LRCP, MRCS, Colwyn Bay. Diagnosed ‘mania’ and discharged recovered 20th April 1877.

15th November 1877 (no. 2730).

Medical Certificate reads: She dances about the house, talks about Arsenic poison in a very ridiculous manner, shouts and sings, she looks wild and is very talkative.

She has become quite unmanageable and wants to ramble about the place which makes her husband feel uneasy with regard to her safety.

By Robert Hughes, Bronllan, Llysfaen, her husband.

Thomas Davies, MRCS, LRCP, Colwyn Bay.

Diagnosed ‘acute mania’ and discharged recovered 18th June 1878.

9th December 1879 (no. 2836).

Medical Certificate reads: Her wild appearance and manner when spoken to and not answering to the point but wandering to other subjects such as raking up old incidents, reciting Welsh hymns.

Charging her husband with the murder of known persons and animals and birds.

For the last six to seven weeks she has been a wandering lunatic.

Has been to Conway, Denbigh, Rhyl and other places. Is in the habit of scolding and raving at everyone near her.

Thomas Davies, LRCP Edin, LCS, Colwyn Bay. Diagnosed ‘acute mania’ and discharged recovered 19th September 1879.

22nd March 1880 (no 2956). Medical Certificate reads:

(1) Is incessantly talking incoherently and when spoken to keeps repeating the same answers to all questions of whatever nature. (2) Reviles everybody spoken of or alluded to.

(3) She is very excitable and strange in her manner. (4) Said she had not tasted food since Friday last until today which is not the case. (5) While taking food said she could not proceed because the house was full of devils.

Diagnosed ‘mania’ and discharged recovered 22nd December 1880.

(noted on this admission to be housekeeper to Rev. Jones at Llysfaen).

22nd February 1882 (no. 3242). Medical Certificate reads: I. Delusions (a) that she is being bewitched, saying that she found a cork with a pin sticking in it behind the dresser. II. From Susan Evans, Bronllau, Llysfaen: as to delusions (a) says that all people are thieves (b) says that her son in law tried three times to enter her house on the night of Sunday last, which he did not do or attempt.

Thomas Davies, LRCP Edin. Diagnosed ‘mania’ and discharged recovered 18th October 1882.

20th October 1883 (no. 3427). Medical Certificate reads: I. She says she remembers incidents happening before she was born and then went on into a rambling and incoherent conversation. II. Susannah Evans, Bonllan, Llysfaen, says that she is boisterous in her talk, threatened to kill her by cutting her head off with a hook and came to her door with a hook for the purpose, also tried to do the same to children while they went from school last Tuesday afternoon; also on two mornings in succession she tried to pollute a neighbour's drinking water with urine and excreta. Thos. Davies. LRCP Ed MRCS, Colwyn Bay. Diagnosed ‘mania’ and discharged recovered on 23rd July 1884

11th March 1885 (no. 3585). Medical Certificate reads: I. Perversion of Scripture quotations; excessive talkativeness; peculiarity of conduct generally; restlessness. II. Anne Hughes, her daughter-in-law, of Bryngolau, Llysfaen, says she is most abusive in her general conduct towards all in the house. Inability to sleep from restlessness and trouble of mind. Thomas Davies, LRCPh Edin and MRCS Eng, Colwyn Bay.

Diagnosed ‘mania (recurrent)’ and discharged recovered on 24th October 1885.

24th November 1886 (no. 3775). Medical Certificate reads: I. Great restlessness and depression of mind. Almost total sleeplessness. Abstaining from taking nourishment. II. Communicated to me by her Son, Henry Hughes: She will not keep in bed at night.

Has a great tendency to wander about. Was one night found about a mile from home and when asked where she was going stated she was going to the sea. Price Morris, Physician and Surgeon, Old Colwyn.

Diagnosed ‘melancholia’ and discharged recovered 20th July 1887.

2nd May 1888 (no. 3954). Medical Certificate reads: I. Very despondent. Exceedingly restless, wants continually to go away.

Is suffering from sleeplessness.

II. Communicated by her son and daughter in law, with whom she resides:

(I) Is very restless at night and unless her son and his wife are on the alert, she will be off.

(2) They are anxious for fear she may do something to herself having exhibited tendencies in that way. Price Morris LRCP Edin. Old Colwyn. Diagnosed ‘melancholia’ and discharged recovered 27th December 1888.

Readmission:

9th March 1892 (no 4429). Medical Certificate reads: I. Very depressed and despondent. States she cannot sleep at night and is restless and inclined to get up and wander about. II. Henry Hughes, her son, tells me that the person Ann Hughes is despondent, restless and that they cannot control her and that she must be removed to some place of control. Price Morris, Old Colwyn.

Diagnosed ‘melancholia’ Anne remained in hospital until her death from Pulmonary Congestion on 28th October 1901.