A widower, set. 69, was admitted recently to the Glasgow Royal Mental Hospital in an anxious, apprehensive, excited, restless state. The history of the case showed that he had come of a good stock, and that he had been a strong, healthy man. For a period of forty-six years he had been employed by the same firm of lawyers, and latterly had been their cashier. He had married twice; there were four children from the first marriage and two from the second. He had divorced his second wife on account of her unfaithfulness. In January, 1919, he resigned his position, sold his home, and made plans to live with his daughter. Three days after his home and furniture had been sold he made a determined attempt on his life by cutting his throat. One month later he was admitted to the Glasgow Royal Mental Hospital. Following his admission he continued in a state of abject misery, he moaned and groaned, wrung his hands, resented any interference, and was very restless. He realised that he was in a hospital, but his mind was so occupied by his depressive thoughts and he was so miserable that he would not assist in a satisfactory mental examination. Physically he was in poor general health, his pulse was irregular and intermittent, and he had peripheral arterio-sclerosis. During the next few months he gradually improved in strength and general condition but mentally panics of anxious apprehension supervened from time to time, in which he became self-accusatory, and expressed hopeless feeling as regard his prospect of recovery. At the same time he was perfectly oriented, and his memory, general knowledge, and personality were all well retained. No particular attempt was ever made at psycho-analysis (his age seemed to preclude such a procedure), but nevertheless casual conversations* were sufficient to allow him to give expression to his fears, and incidentally to show where his conflicts and difficulties lay. He complained of the other patients, said that they looked as if they could tear his bones out, that they wished to do him an injury, that they slandered him, that they accused him of incest with his daughter. At this point he began to defend himself with great warmth and emphasis, and said, quite unnecessarily, that the only thing that supported him was the consciousness of his own rectitude, that nothing had been further from his thoughts, etc. These matters were never argued out with him, but he was encouraged always to say what he had to say, and eventually six months after admission he was discharged as recovered.
