Mary Davies (6636)

Admission Details for Patient: Mary Davies (6636)

Gender: Female Age: 55
Marital Status: Married Religion: Protestant
Occupation: Housewife
Address: Criccieth, Carnarvonshire

Date of Admission: September 28, 1905
Date of Death: February 1, 1906
Cause of Death: Morbus Cordis/Angina Pectoris certified COD.

Disease: Melancholia
Supposed Cause: Domestic affliction/previous attacks

Medical Certificate:
She sits gazing on the floor, has alternate fits of crying and outbursts of anger, refuses food, she thinks she hears voices and believes someone is going to do her harm. She takes dislike to her friends without cause. David Davies, her husband, states that she tried to leave the house at night several times, had to be restrained, that she threatened to strike him, that she gets into sudden fits of anger followed by depression and crying. Ellen Jones, her neighbour, states that she suddenly has fits of anger with alternate fits of crying and shouting. Dr. Henry Gladstone Jones, Plas Gwilym, Criccieth.

Approximate duration of present attack: 10 days

Number of Previous Attacks: 2

Number of Previous Admissions: 2

Number of Subsequent Admissions: 0

Total Number of Admissions: 3

Relatives affected:

Number of Previous Attacks: 2

Epileptic: No

Suicidal: Possibly

Dangerous: No

Clean Habit: -

Food Refusal: -

Sleep Habit: -

Destructive Habit: -

Disposition: -

Education: -

Physical/Mental State at Examination: Health moderate. Appetite poor. Morbus Cordis.

Current Diagnosis: Depressive episode (F32.3)

Case Notes

1905 Oct 1 - Patient's mental condition very similar to what it was when last an inmate here. Very dejected, thinks she has sinned, and feas something will happen to her. Devoid of energy and in very indifferent health.

Her appetite is poor and her heart action irregular but without valvular lesion.

She sleeps badly. (Dates of subsequent notes are obscured by the Death Certificate).

- In hospital Ward. - Is just getting over a bad attack of Congestion of the Lungs which did not go on to consolidation. Very low and feeble and in bed.

- Up. Brighter and stronger and does a little needlework.

- Is now well in her mental condition and will shortly go home.

- This poor woman died yesterday of what appeared to be Angina Pectoris. She had made a fair recovery and had been before a Committee on the 20th and had been discharged.

A couple of days afterwards she complained of not being so well and was confined to bed with biliousness etc on Tuesday.

She was very obviously ill and the right lung was congested, very similar to the attack she had some months ago. On Wednesday she suddenly complained of intense Heart Pain with faintness and hurried heart action, over 200 per minute.

The legs became cold and the skin discoloured with purple patches similar in appearance to PM spots and sensation cutaneous and deep abolished up nearly to groin.

Amyl. Nit. gave no relief, neither did the subsequent use of Trinitrine.

The pain persisted with exacerbations until she died the following morning. A week previously she had had a very severe faint and some heart pain. Died February 1st 1906.

Medications/Treatments: Amyl Nitrate. Trinitrine.

Additional Notes

Two previous admissions:

01/03/1895 to 23/05/1895 (no. 4869) - mania - disch. 1. Med cert reads: She has a gloomy expression, speaks in a mournful tone of voice, is at times incoherent and rambling in her statements. Says Christ was in her arms last night and told her she must die and that she must speak the truth. Repeats over and over the words "the truth will stand". Bursts into tears without cause.

Her brother, Robert Williams, 84 High Street, Criccieth, (Mason), says:- she jumped out of bed in a violent and excited manner on 2 occasions and rushed out of the house with only her nightdress on, it took 2 men to carry her back to bed. She shouts loudly at times and at other times stares vacantly before me and bursts into tears.

Dr. David Livingstone Davies, Preswylfa, Criccieth

(NB. Although this is referred to in the Admissions Register as a previous admission, the name here is "Mary Roberts" and not "Mary Davies". It seems to be the same woman (husband's first name, address, age etc all tie in).

27/01/1900 to 25/03/1900 (5632) - ac. mania - disch. 1. Med cert reads: I (a) She is incoherent, rambling in her statements, at times sullen, refusing to speak when spoken to, at other times shouts out and says "Someone has given me poison and I am dying and I want you to open me and find who has given me the poison".

"Let me die and let all my enemies live."

II (b) Mr David Davies, of Merllyn, Criccieth, in the County of Carnarvon (husband of the patient) states that he brought her home from Bettws y Coed to Criccieth on the 24th inst. and that he had difficulty in getting her to enter the compartment of railway carriage. She never uttered a single word during the journey. After reaching home she said she was in London and wanted to know who had sent her there.

Dated 26 January 1900. D Livingstone Davies, Criccieth.