J. H. a man, aged forty-two, was admitted into the house on April 12,
1794. He had then been disordered two months: it was a family disease on
his father's side. Having manifested a mischievous disposition to some of
his relations, he was continued in the hospital upon the incurable
establishment. His temper was naturally violent, and he was easily
provoked. As long as he was kept to any employment he conducted himself
tolerably well; but when unoccupied, would walk about in a hurried and
distracted manner, throwing out the most horrid threats and imprecations.
He would often appear to be holding conversations: but these conferences
always terminated in a violent quarrel between the imaginary being and
himself. He constantly supposed unfriendly people were placed in different
parts of the house to torment and annoy him. However violently he might be
contesting any subject with these supposed enemies, if directed by the
keepers to render them any assistance, he immediately gave up the dispute
and went with alacrity. As he slept but little, the greatest part of the
night was spent in a very noisy and riotous manner. In this state he
continued until April 1796, when he was attacked with a paralytic
affection, which deprived him of the use of the left side. His
articulation was now hardly intelligible; he became childish, got
gradually weaker, and died December 28, 1796. He was opened twenty-four
hours after death. There was a general opacity of the tunica arachnoidea,
and a small quantity of water between that membrane and the pia mater:
the ventricles were much enlarged and contained a considerable quantity of
water, by estimation, four ounces; the consistence of the brain was
natural.