REPORT OF THE ALIENISTS.
The report of the sanity commission follows:
To the Honorable A. C. Backus, Judge of the Municipal Court of
Milwaukee County:
Pursuant to your appointment of the undersigned on the 12th day of
November, 1912, as a Commission to examine John Schrank with reference
to his present mental condition, we respectfully submit our report.
This report consists of:
First: The examination of John Schrank with reference to his personal
and family history, his present physical state, and his present mental
state.
Second: Inquiry by means of data furnished by the New York Police
Department, the Magistrate of Erding, Bavaria, reports furnished by the
Milwaukee Police Department and other officials brought in contact with
him, and certain documents furnished by the defendant himself, and
others found in his possession, some of which are herewith submitted as
exhibits, duly numbered.
Third: Summary and conclusions arrived at.
PERSONAL AND FAMILY HISTORY.
Age 36. Single. Born in Erding, Bavaria, March 5, 1876. Father born in
Bavaria, and mother born in Bavaria. Occupation, bar tender and
saloonkeeper. No regular occupation in the last one and one-half years.
Education, common schools in Bavaria from the seventh to the twelfth
year; three or four years in night school in New York, in English.
In early life a Roman Catholic; not a practical Catholic for the past
15 years.
His father died at the age of 38 of consumption; was a moderate
drinker; the mother living at the age of 56 or 57. One brother and
one sister living, in good health. One brother and one sister died
in infancy.
A sister of mother insane, suffered from delusions of persecution; died
of softening of the brain, so-called, in 1904, in Gabersee Asylum,
Bavaria. Certified by Magistrate of Erding, Bavaria.
Patient states he was never seriously sick. Knows of no serious
accident or injury. Never suffered from headaches.
Lived with grandparents from three to nine years of age; worked in a
vegetable garden during that time, and then returned to parents.
HABITS.
Denies excesses; no use of tobacco until two years ago, never more than
five or six cigars a day, average two or three cigars. Has generally
taken about five pint bottles of beer in twenty-four hours, of late
years. For two years, in 1902-1903, drank no intoxicants at all. He
states he drank to slight excess at most half a dozen times a year.
Never used drugs of any kind. Denies all venereal diseases, and
presents no physical evidence of them. His usual habit was to retire
before 10 o'clock at night.
PRESENT PHYSICAL STATE.
Height 5 feet 4-1/2 inches in stocking feet. Weight, 160 pounds, with
clothing. Is right-handed. Head presents no scars or injuries or
evidence of injuries or irregularities of cranial bones; normal in
shape, except measurements over left parietal bone from ear to median
line at vertex is 1.25 centimeters larger than the right. Cephalic
index 80. Cranial capacity normal. External ears normal in shape. Holds
head slightly tilted to left. Shape of hard palate, mouth and teeth
normal. Maxillary bones normal except lower jaw slightly prognathic.
Blonde hair. Eyes, bluish gray. Complexion fair. Tongue, slight
yellowish coating, edges clean. Appetite and general nutrition good.
Stomach, digestion, bowels normal. Sleep good. State of heart and
arteries normal. Blood pressure 125 to 130 systolic; 115 to 120
diastolic. Pulse 82-86. Temperature Nov. 12, 1912, P.M., 99.4. Nov. 14,
normal. No scars on genitals. Urine practically a normal specimen.
NEUROLOGICAL.
The Eyes--Light, accommodation and sympathetic reflex present, but
somewhat slow. Slight inequality of pupils, right distinctly larger
than left. Color sense normal. No contraction of visual field. Slight
horizontal nystagmus in both eyes on extreme outward rotation of the
eyeballs. (Pupils equal and normal Nov. 20th, 1912.)
After above symptoms ascertained, 1.40 grain euphthalmine inserted, and
examination of eye grounds showed no optic atrophy. The right eye
ground (retina) was slightly higher in color than the left.
Hearing very acute, both sides.
Sense of taste and smell normal.
Tactile, pain, temperature and weight sense normal.
Deep Reflexes--Knee, reflex, right, irregularly present, regular on
reinforcement; knee, left, absent; brought out by reinforcement
irregularly.
Myotatic irritability of forearm, right markedly heightened; left
slightly heightened.
No ankle-clonus.
Superficial Reflexes--Abdominal reflex present. Epigastric reflex
absent. Cremasteric reflex, active both sides. No Oppenheim reflex. No
Babinski reflex. Plantar reflex: right markedly heightened; left
heightened.
Musculature--Arm and leg showed slightly diminished power on right
side. The left side stronger, though subject right-handed.
Dynamometer, right 90, 90 (two tests); and left 100, 100 (two tests).
No Romberg symptom, and no inco-ordination of upper and lower
extremities.
Gait and station normal.
Slight tremor of fingers, noticeable under mental excitement. At times
slight tremor of lips.
EXAMINATION OF PRESENT MENTAL STATE.
Tests for attention show normal conditions.
Tests for memory, general and special, show normal conditions.
Tests for association of ideas and words showed special bearing upon
his delusional state.
Logical power good, except as limited by his delusions.
Judgment the same.
Has no "insight" as to his own mental condition.
Emotional tests show tone of feeling exalted.
Orientation correct as to time and place.
Delusions present, as subsequently set forth.