Admission Details for Patient: Catherine Ann Hughes (6619)
Gender: Female Age: 21
Marital Status: Single Religion: Calvinist Methodist
Occupation: Dressmaker
Address: Carnarvon (admitted from Workhouse), Carnarvonshire
Date of Admission: August 14, 1905
Date of Discharge: July 22, 1908
Discharge Category: Recovered
Disease: Subacute Mania
Supposed Cause: Heredity/epilepsy
Medical Certificate:
General excitability of manner, loquacious, on several occasions during the last few days and have observed her behave strangely. Sings hymns incessantly, laughs insanely and chattering nonsense incoherently. She gave a history of hallucinations - said she had seen visions at night in the shape of a cow dressed up in white and vanishing suddenly from sight.
J. Parry, the Workhouse Master, states that she sings hymns, prays continually for hours together and at other times is filthy and abusive with her language. During a quarrel with one of the inmates she attempted to use a knife. On another occasion she spent an afternoon nursing a parcel of books dressed up as a child.
Dr. Thomas Roberts, Penymaes, Caernarfon.
Approximate duration of present attack: 84 dats
Number of Previous Attacks: 0
Number of Previous Admissions: 0
Number of Subsequent Admissions: 1
Total Number of Admissions: 2
Relatives affected: 2 of her sisters have been inmates here
Epileptic: Yes
Suicidal: No
Dangerous: No
Clean Habit: Yes
Food Refusal: No
Sleep Habit: -
Destructive Habit: -
Disposition: -
Education: -
Physical/Mental State at Examination: Health good. Patient has been in the Carnarvon Workhouse for the past 10 days. Commenced to show symptoms some 3 months ago and has become worse. She is epileptic but a definite history cannot be got at the present. Vivian or Miriam Hughes, her sister, died of Phthisis in this Asylum about 2 months ago.
Current Diagnosis: Schizophrenia (F20.2)
Additional Diagnosis: 20.2
Case Notes
1905 Aug 17 - A girl of medium height and build, well nourished and healthy. brown hair and eyes, pupils dilated, equal. She is rambling and confused in her conversation and unable to maintain a conversation.
She is restless, uneasy and unable to settle to anything. Sleeps badly.
25 - Perfectly manageable. Oct 1 - Is now quite rational and sews daily but is a simple minded girl. Harmless.
Dec 3 - Has for some weeks been low and in a semi stuporose state. Not speaking and having to be fed occasionally.
Good health.
Has had nothing like a fit since she came here.
1906 Feb - Fairly bright and at work. A nice well behaved girl. Mar - Again low and stuporose.
Does not speak or work.
Sept - Looks bright and intelligent and sews daily.
Does not converse but smiles and takes in all said.
Clean and useful.
1907 Feb - Can be got to say very little when spoken to. No trouble in any way.
June - Has recently brightened up a lot and is now quite good spirited and very useful.
1908 Jan - Much better and is now quite lively and well but quarrelsome and troublesome.
July 22 - Was discharged today after two months trial.
Discharged July 22nd 1908.
Medications/Treatments:
Additional Notes
Readmission:
18th May 1917 (No. 8866) with Mania.
The Medical Certificate reads: Patient's appearance is wild. Her speech is incoherent.
Has delusions that she is in communication with Christ.
She goes out through the window at all hours in her nightshirt.
Is constantly praying and disturbing the neighbours.
At times she is very violent and throws stones at a vicarage close by her home.
This information was given me by Miss Margaret Jones, Groeslon.
Catherine Hughes was discharged relieved on 6th October 1947.
(The sister referred to above was Miriam Hughes (No. 6474), a domestic servant admitted to Denbigh already suffering from Tuberculosis.
She died in the asylum within 6 months of admission.
Another sister, Winifred Hughes, was admitted for the first time in 1900 (No. 5684) and went on to have 9 further admissions.
When she was admitted in 1924 the diagnosis was 'Manic Depressive Insanity' .
Nothing more is heard of Winifred after she had been discharged recovered in 1925.).
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