B. H. was an incurable patient, who had been confined in the house from
the year 1788, and for some years before that time in a private madhouse.
He was about sixty years of age--had formerly been in the habit of
intoxicating himself. His character was strongly marked by pride,
irascibility, and malevolence. During the four last years of his life he
was confined for attempting to commit some violence on one of the officers
of the house. After this he was seldom heard to speak; yet he manifested
his evil disposition by every species of dumb insult. Latterly he grew
suspicious, and would sometimes tell the keeper that his victuals were
poisoned. About the beginning of December he was taken ill with a cough,
attended with copious expectoration. Being then asked respecting his
complaints, he said he had a violent pain across the stomach, which arose
from his navel string at his birth having been tied too short. He never
spoke afterwards, though frequently importuned to describe his
complaints. He died December 24, 1795.
Upon dividing the integuments of the head, the pericranium was found
scarcely to adhere to the scull. On the right parietal bone there was a
large blotch, as if the bone had been inflamed: there were others on
different parts of the bone, but considerably smaller. The glandulae
Pacchioni were uncommonly large: the tunica arachnoides in many places
wanted the natural transparency of that membrane: there was a large
determination of blood to the substance of the brain: the ventricles
contained about three ounces of water; the consistence of the brain was
natural. He was opened two days after death.