Conversing with the Psychiatrist: Patient Narratives within Glasgow’s Royal Asylum, 1921-1929’

摘要

This is very variable. She slept for an ho ur and a half fo llowing ad missio n. When she began t o act at times in a very ext raordinary manner; she was no ted to speak to herself a great deal. At times she got very impulsive ... When seen during the forenoon ... she lay in bed, her eyes were flashing and she immediat ely made strange signs. She blew fro m her mouth and made mo vement s o f her arms which seemed to ind icat e that she was pushing or brushing away the medical officer ... Stream of Activity On go ing to mak e the official physical examinatio n I fo und her in her "high" state. She spoke in a lo ud declamatory voice ... got very antagonistic and said if I remained where I was she wo uld spit on me. I sat. She spat on me, three times; and then she said so met hing like, "Thank Go d, Thank God, he does not flinch" and her antagonism seemed to go away very largely; and she allowed the sister to begin to arrange her dress for the physical examinat ion... I then proceeded with the examinatio n; but again she showed momentary flashes of antagonism ... and proceeded to sing aloud "Danny Bo y, Danny Boy ... This was while I was attempting to auscu ltate the thorax. Gradually this phase seemed to subside; and finally I pro ceeded to t alk to the patient... "Is your head clear." "Fairly." Do you feel confused. "No" (definite) She then made reference to the coming of Heaven, said this was a preparatio n for Heaven, ... and then said how when she was a child she had a fancy. She looked into a looking glass and saw another room; and that she had wished to get into t hat other roo m, the other side of the glass. (She smiled and agreed when I mentioned Alice thro ugh the Looking Glass.) But she seemed to suggest that we were now "thro ugh t he glass" – we were through t he veil of Death into Heaven