Aged thirty-four, from Kettering, in Northamptonshire, admitted the
11th of April 1822. This poor object had been a common labourer. He was
obstinate and untractable, almost beyond all example: it was scarcely
possible to do anything that met his wishes, or render him any kindness
that seemed agreeable. He stoutly resisted every attempt to dress or
undress him. In order to shave him, it required the aid of a keeper at
each arm and leg, another at his head, and others to restrain his body:
and yet, with all, the operation could not be thoroughly effected.
Although apparently reduced to a skeleton, through his obstinate
abstemiousness, he was remarkably strong, and on every occasion opposed
his strength to any efforts for bettering his unhappy state. He would
be induced to take no part of his provisions but by dint of force: and
although he would cry out repeatedly, “for God’s sake give me something
to eat;” yet the instant that food was brought before him he would
reject it with horror, as a patient in the hydrophobia would reject any
liquid, and would struggle with all his might to avoid it.
So far did delusion carry this man’s fancy, that he actually believed
he had neither eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, nor teeth. While feeding
him, his keeper would desire him to open his mouth. “Mouth!” he would
answer, “I have got no mouth; I had a nice large one once, but I
have got none now.” He actually supposed his mouth to be quite an
opposite part of his person, and would call aloud to his keeper when
endeavouring to feed him, “don’t! pray don’t put meat and things in
there! it’s so unnatural. Nobody ever did that before to any man; its
so unreasonable: pray don’t do it!” The like perverse and revolutionary
notions of his other organs, already mentioned, gave rise to the most
extraordinary misconceptions, as if perception and all its natural
organs were at open variance with each other. In this intestine war of
the organic elements, his person became emaciated, feeble, and sickly;
and he was discharged on the 30th May 1822, and sent to a private
mad-house.