Mary Edwards (4163)

Admission Details for Patient: Mary Edwards (4163)

Gender: Female Age: 24
Marital Status: Single Religion: Calvinist Methodist
Occupation: Domestic servant
Address: Bettws y Coed (admitted from workhouse), Carnarvonshire

Date of Admission: March 5, 1890
Date of Discharge: February 25, 1891
Discharge Category: Recovered

Disease: Acute Mania
Supposed Cause: Not Known

Medical Certificate:
1. Incoherent in her conversation. Tells me that there are several persons in the top of the room and that her sister is watching them, also that there are rabbits, dogs and many other things running about the room. 2. Griffith Hughes of Fron, Ysbytty Ifan, informs me that she was continually running away and also jumping at strangers and kissing them. Ellen Elias, the nurse at the Workhouse, informs me that she is very violent at times. March 4th 1890. Owen Evans, MRCS England etc., Llanrwst.

Approximate duration of present attack: 9 days

Number of Previous Attacks: 0

Number of Previous Admissions: 0

Number of Subsequent Admissions: 3

Total Number of Admissions: 4

Relatives affected: Mother, sister and brother

Epileptic: No

Suicidal: No

Dangerous: Yes

Clean Habit: -

Food Refusal: -

Sleep Habit: -

Destructive Habit: -

Disposition: -

Education: -

Physical/Mental State at Examination: Health moderate. There appears to be a strong family history of insanity in regard to the above case the mother and sister having been treated at this Asylum. The mother died here and the sister (Ellen Edwards) is one of the patients transferred to the Abergavenny Asylum in Nov 1887. Father is said to have been a person of feeble intellect and the brother is also weak minded. (Evan Edwards, a farm servant who ‘became suddenly insane after a drinking bout in the village’ was admitted to the Asylum from Llanrwst Workhouse on 13th March 1890 (no. 4169)). Patient has been living for some years as a servant at a farmhouse near to Ysbytty and recently it was decided to discharge her owing, it is stated, to the fact of her being very stupid and strange in conduct at times and unable to give satisfaction. Has been in Workhouse for past week, violent, noisy and destructive in conduct.

Current Diagnosis: Schizophrenia (F20.3)

Case Notes

1890 Mar 10 - Patient has been in an excited and confused state of mind since her admission, conduct restless and uncontrollable and language noisy, incoherent and unintelligible.

Owing to her unruly behaviour it has been necessary to confine her to the padded room where she is still under treatment. Altho' a well nourished and apparently healthy young woman, she has latterly shown some slight congestion of the lungs with rise in temperature, cough and expectoration, and takes her food with some reluctance and has to be fed by spoon.

21 - The pulm. Mischief vanishing. Noisy, incoherent and exalted.

Habits dirty. Has still to be fed.

Apr 7 - The same. Talks volubly in an incoherent manner.

Does nothing.

28 - Somewhat quieter and more sensible and not so dirty. Aug 5 - Has gradually calmed down and is now in a slightly demented condition.

Quiet and gives no trouble but cannot be induced to employ herself in any way. Silly and affectionate in manner.

1891 Jan - Is suffering from a severe attack of Pleuro Pneumonia, the left lung being attacked. Is now, however, nearly convalescent.

Has of late shown decided evidence of mental improvement and is nice and well behaved in every way. Feb 17 - Since last entry has made great improvement and will be sent home in a few days. Tho' her family history is so bad that a relapse sooner or later is almost certain. Is going to be discharged to the care of her aunt at Penmachno.

Medications/Treatments: Padded room

Additional Notes

Readmissions:

1st November 1893 (no. 4684), again brought from the Workhouse at Llanrwst.

Medical certificate reads:1. Talks incessantly, the conversation being quite of a childish character. Tells me that her brother has been here tying her hands (which was of course not the case) also the cat has been annoying her, also that she has a stick in her mouth to prevent her having the fever.

2. W. Jones, the Master of the Workhouse, informs me that she is either singing, shouting or talking day and night and that she is constantly on the watch to run away.

Again diagnosed with mania and discharged recovered on 28th June 1894.

1st May 1896 (no. 5091) Med Cert reads: Very childish in her manner and conversation, jumping about, removing articles of furniture by turning them upside down. Tells me that is the proper way for them, her stockings are over her shoes, and on asking her the reason she tells me that is the proper way to wear them.William Jones, Master of the Workhouse, informs me that she is very troublesome to the other inmates in the house, shouting and singing at all hours of the night, removing the beds of the other

inmates and pulling their bedclothes off and very dangerous with fire.

Diagnosed with sub acute mania, Mary was discharged on 25th August 1897 recovered.

Readmitted on 21st August 1901 (no. 5884), again with mania, Mary remained in the asylum until her death on 25th April 1919.

Medical certificate reads:

1. She informed me that she was cross to her mistress because her mistress would not allow her to put the calf under the cow. She admitted that she had thrown a pailful of new milk over her mistress and that she would like to drown the whole family in milk.

She said that she could not help laughing in chapel because the grey cow calved on Sunday.

2. Mrs Mary Owen of Hafoddre Isa Farm, Pentrevoelas, told me that the said Mary Edwards had thrown a pailful of milk over her and that she tried to strike her afterwards with her fist and that she had to run from her to the house, she also states that she is very much afraid of her.