Cases of suicidal intent in congenital imbeciles / by C.S.W. Cobbold.

  • Cobbold, C. S. W.
Date:
[1886]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cases of suicidal intent in congenital imbeciles / by C.S.W. Cobbold. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    athetosis. Is sly, untruthful, cunning, deceitful, wanton, mischievous, and hypocritical by nature. Is always abjectly penitent after being discovered in evil-doing, but is utterly unable to restrain his propen-* sities in the future. He provokes the attendants in every possible way, and occasionally becomes very violent himself. Can do simple mental arithmetic, but he breaks down when he is asked to repeat five or six figures consecutively after me from memory, though he sometimes repeats five correctly. In July, 1885, he had been placed in a constant observation ward owing to his having been violent to other patients ; just as dinner was being cleared away he cut the back of his right hand rather badly with a knife, trying to open a vein, and was just prevented by the attendant from cutting at his throat. He admits that he was so miserable (owing to his misdeeds and their consecpences) that he wished to take his life. He has threatened this also at other times when in an ex- cited and insubordinate state, e.g., in February, 1886. He is subject to uncontrollable impulses of various kinds, e.g., attacking an un- suspecting attendant from behind ; running away through the town in the most demonstrative manner when not pursued, whereas if he had walked quietly he would have passed unnoticed. Remarks.—The suicidal intent in this case is always essen- tially an impulse, and is not the result of reflection. The patient gets into a state of passionate excitement and feels he must do something desperate; but he lacks the steadfastness of purpose necessary to consummate the suicidal act, his excite- ment always passes quickly away, and he has no deliberate and fixed intent to take his life. These outbursts of uncontrolled passion only occur at intervals. Since the patient has been at Earlswood he has learned to do very useful work as a basket- maker. A. E. 0., aged 20, imbecile, has now been under observation for over eight months ; he is a most amiable and apparently good- natured congenital imbecile who is markedly improving under training in our schools and carpenter's shop. Was in a home for two years at age 9 to 11. Breaks down at repeating five figures consecutively. Can calculate simple sums mentally. The certificate upon which he was admitted in 1885 stated, When in desponding moods he has tried on four or five occasions within the last few years to commit suicide, she (his sister) and others having had to take knives away from him, and he has also threatened to drown himself.'' I have been, unable to obtain definite details as to the patient's condition on the occasions referred to. The threatening to drown occurred because his mother was very ill and likely to die. He remembers this and says he had many oppor- tunities of drowning himself, but never tried to do so. He remembers