Children of Maria and George Horsnaill

BY MESSRS. DANIEL WATNEY & SONS.

In consequence of the death of the late G.W. Alexander, Esq.]

DOVER

[ . . . ] Also a Valuable and Extensive Corner Block of

FREEHOLD BUSINESS PREMISES

known as No. 11, SNARGATE STREET, possessing frontages on three sides (to Snargate-street, Wellington-lane, and Northampton-street), comprising Residence, large Shop, and Warehouse, now and for many years past in the occupation of Mr. Edward Horsnaill, the whole producing, or of the rental value of about £550 per annum.

Admitted

Occupation: none

Religion: Church of England

Address of Patient: 35 Morehall Avenue, Folk_^^estone, Kent

Petitioner: Edward Horsnaill (Husband), 35 Morehall Avenue, Folkestone Kent

H.P.C.: Symptoms appeared about September 1902: gradual, first being sleeplessness & depression. Worried about daughter's illness. Some slight improvement at times, then irritability & discontent. Treated homeopathically by letter for 3 months. Constipation troublesome, making her think she had some internal trouble.

Suicidal: Repeated attempts, strangulation & jumping out of window, & drowning in bath.

Homicidal: no

P.H. Childhood: Good health both mentally & bodily. Excitable, deficient mental control, occasional fit of temper. Industrious & fairly good manager.

Previous attacks: In 1891 – climacteric – extreme depression – jumped out of a window.

Where treated: At Home. Complete recovery.

F.H. Paternal Relatives: Two cases of insanity amongst cousin on father's side.

Brothers: One in Canadian Asylum. Another weak.

Sisters: one shewn mental weakness.

Children: Has had 8. 6 alive none robust.

Medical Certificate I: Facts observed: She sits quiet & sad, & tells me she is impelled to try to kill herself, by throwing herself out of the window, but has been prevented lately by the care taken of her.

Facts communicated: by patient's daughter. Yesterday patient several times opened the first floor window & attempted to throw herself out & after that tired to throw herself downstairs.

Medical Certificate II: Facts observed: She tells me that lately on wasking, in the morning, she has felt an irresistible desire to destroy herself, & that she would have done so, & that she would have done so [sic], if she had not been prevented by her daughter.

Facts communicated: by her daughter. Yesterday morning patient opened an upstairs window four times & tried to throw herself out, & later made a determined effort to throw herself downstairs.

Mental condition: Patient has been quiet since admission, & says very little. She has settled down pretty well. She admits having felt very miserable  low spirited. She has taken her food well, & does what she is wanted & behaves well.

Patient is in bed to-day & complains of pain in the back. The temperature is raised – over 103° – & her pulse is small & quick – 130. She has some cough but there are no physical signs of organic lung disease. She has been ordered Caster oil, H.A.R. & milk diet.

The feverish condition of the patient continues: the temperature to-day went up to 101.6°. The pulse is about 120 & the respiration about 28. There are no fresh symptoms. Patient feels very miserable & dull in bed & complains that she sleeps so badly, & tells me she has been in the habit of taking sulphonal at night lately. The pain in the back is better.

Last night the temperature went up to 102.4°, but has come down steadily since; this evening it is normal. Patient complains of feeling very weak. She does not like a milk diet or the medicine & is rather fretful.

The temperature has been subnormal since the last note, but went up to 99° to-night. Patient appears to be keeping better & is free from pain. She has been moved downstairs to her own room. She is apt to be very uneasy about herself, & anxious to get up.

Patient is still in bed, but is keeping very much better. Her tongue is furred still, though the bowels were moved yesterday. She feels very depressed in the early morning.

Patient was up yesterday for a short time & again to-day. She is rather more cheerful & is taking her food better.

Patient appears to have got over the feverish cold nicely. Mentally she is rather more cheerful & says she does not feel so depressed as she did before & does not think there is any temptation to suicide left now. She is quiet & gives little trouble. She is still under continuous observation.

Patient is going on pretty much as usual. She is quiet, keeps herself occupied with knitting & does what the nurses require of her.

Patient is very depressed & filled with all sorts of fears about herself. She says her bowels are stopped up, that she cannot pass water & that she has not been quite straightforward about all this. She also thinks her foot is not so well, it is stiffer, she thinks & she can't move it so freely. The bowels were moved on Nov. 20^th as the result of the administration of a palatinoid (s.1068), & patient told me that it had moved the bowels too freely. She thinks she is not fit to live & not fit to die. She is under close continuous observation.

Patient is much more cheerful & bright. She has ceased to talk about her own condition & seems to take an interest in all that is going on around her. She is now only under close, not continuous supervision.

Patient continues to be bright & cheerful, & is hoping to go home in another month perhaps. She keeps herself well employed with knitting & writing letters. She says she has lost the feeling of misery & hopelessness she had & has more confidence in herself. She is taking her food pretty well & has fairly good nights.

Patient is still keeping well. She has slept out of a dormitory for nearly a week now – away from supervision. She says she is never very lively but that she has lost the miserable feeling she had. She is going home to-morrow on trial.

This patient went on trial today with her daughter.

I, the undersigned, being the petitioner in the case of

Sarah Maria Horsnaill

hereby authorise her discharge from the Retreat at York and I relieve the medical officers of that Institution from all further responsibility in respect to her

              Signed Edw^d Horsnaill

Dated 25^th April 1904

At the request of her husband patient has been discharged to-day as relieved.

Facts indicating Insanity observed by myself: Fits of standing in her bedroom for hours with only her night dress & stockings on, for no reason whatever—won't dress herself although perfectly able to do so

Other facts [ . . . ]: Her Mother states, she has fits of standing for 4 or 5 hours or longer—will eat nothing the whole of day frequently, and then eats enough for three meals at one time

Facts indicating Insanity observed by myself: Washing her head for 2 or 3 hours in the night having only her night dress on, [receiving?] her mother to ask her to go to bed &c. before she

Standing undressed, unable to account for her acts &c.

Other facts [ . . . ]: Washing her head for 2 or 3 hours in the night having only her night dress on, standing in the same posture for hours, not taking any food for hours then eating ravenously. Told me by her mother

Facts indicating Insanity observed by myself: A very [illeg. word] expression her conversation is feeble & without purpose—she is unable to give any reason for anything she has done—says that she was very slow at school that some there household duties have been above her power that she felt unable to accomplish anything—that she is frequently very depressed & that she stands for long periods not knowing what to do she frequently does this both by night & day—& without Agent or Motive

From Dover, single, aged 23, a member of the Society of Friends, has been Insane during the last seven years, being a first attack for which no cause is assigned, she having never had epilepsy or other fits, or any material bodily illness, though she has some scofulous [sic] symptoms. There appears, however, to be some hereditary tendency, & she is cousin to n^o 1006, now a Patient at the Retreat. She was born at Rochester & educated at Ackworth & Croydon schools; on leaving school, she first manifested symptoms of mental disorder. She remained at home with her Mother, & was not brought up to any occupation. Her disposition was always inclined to obstinacy, she was never industrious, but always temperate, & regular in conduct. Her first symptoms of the disorder were standing for hours not knowing what to do, wishing to be always going to church & prayer meetings &c. She then began to refuse food, & after hours of abstinence, would eat 3 or 4 meals in one. She would stand undressed, in the same position & seemed unable to account for her acts, wash her head for 2 or 3 hours in the night. She said she was very slow at School, & that since then, household duties have been above her power, that she feels unable to accomplish anything. She is frequently very much depressed, but has not manifested any violent or suicidal tendency. Her disorder appears to be increasing.

Somewhat improved but still sulky, inert, with no directing energy, not unhappy, but pensive. A judicious Mother might as one would think, be able to do very well with her at home.

Continues much the same.

Remains the same

      D^o            D^o

There is no change to report

                D^o

She continues much the same.

Remains quiet and inert, in every thing she does showing want of energy and mental efficience.

Remains in the same condition

      D^o                  D^o

      D^o                  D^o

There is no change to be observed.

Remains in the same condition.

Remains quite listless and weak in mental power but she is less obstinate & sulky and more willing to Employ herself only she needs a directing power to start her.

Georgina Horsnaill has been today liberated on trial and has gone to her Mother at Dover.

Admitted

Age: 54, State: Single, Occupation: Christian worker, Religion: Nonconformist.

Address of Patient: 40 Hockliffe Rd, Leighton Buzzard.

Petitioner: Isabel Horsnaill, 40 Hockcliffe Rd, Leighton Buzzard, sister

H.P.C: She had been working in India, & had not given herself sufficient rest on her return. Undertook some work in July 1907 which was too much for her, & which worried her. The only relaxation she allowed herself was attending meetings. Would not have any special treatment, though D^r. has been attending her since April. Defective will power since illness. Very suspicious.

P.H. Childhood: Severe headaches. When run down subject to boils. When in India had ophthalmia, small pox & fever. Naturally bright & sunny disposition, industrious, fond of gardening.

Previous Attacks: none.

F.H. Father: Died of heart disease aet. 55.

Paternal Relatives: 1 uncle

Mother: Maria Pollard, died of asthma & pneumonia.

Brothers: 1

Sisters: 1 died in Retreat. I deficient.

Medical Certificate I: Facts observed: Will not answer questions, but mutters to herself & shows great annoyance if a question is persisted in. She says that the letters she receives are not written by the senders & are nothing but foolishness. Says it is no use trying to improve her health, for is she is going to get well, she will do so without remedies. Has a very vacant look about her & is constantly muttering "I can't etc.

Facts communicated: by Isabell Horsnaill, 40 Hockliffe Rd, Leighton Buzzard. Patient refuses her food, gets into violent tempers if forced to take it or if asked to go out for a walk, wanders up & down the room for hours. Says people are looking in at the windows at her & interfering with her clothes.

Medical Certificate II: Facts observed: The patient has a thoughtful worried look & constantly licks her lips. She informs me she has done wrong, but will not say & does not know what. Says she is not for her religious work & that the Bible does not comfort her now.

Facts communicated: by her sister. Patient thinks she has & says she has committed sins & cannot get forgiveness: Constantly thinks the house is being broken into, etc.

Condition on admission: Nutrition: very poor, Weight 5 st. 4½ lbs, height 4 ft 1½ in

Complexion: pale, Temperament: Depressed: fidgetty, Temp. 97°.

Pulse, frequency: 88, Regularity: good, Tension: high, Arterial Wall: firm

Eyes, Colour: grey, Shape of Pupil: circular, Size of Pupil: contracted, Reaction to light: normal, Accommodation: normal

Teeth: artificial, Palate: high & narrow

Thorax, Movement on R. Good, Frequency of R. 16

Heart, Apex beat: displaced slightly outwards. No murmur.

Mental Condition: Patient sits up in bed, picking her lips & fingers, the latter being never still. She says there is nothing wrong with her & that there is no need for her to be in bed. She objects very much to the quantity of food that is given to her. For the rest she is quiet & behaves properly.

Patient is being nursed in bed. She is unoccupied & not the least interested in anything about her. She sits & picks her fingers & lips all day & objects very much to the amount of food she is given. It requires two nurses to feed her. Constipation has been slightly troublesome, but has yielded to fluid extract of senna pods: this made her feel rather faint, so that salts have to be given instead.

Patient is quiet, & very troublesome with her food. She says she should not be here, that she has no money to pay for being here, nor have her sisters. She does not talk about anything else, & does not occupy herself in any way, but just picks her lips & fingers. She is being nursed in bed in a shelter out of doors.

Patient continues to ask to be allowed to go home immediately. She does nothing & takes no notice of anyone beyond asking to go home. She has a great objection to taking so much food & resists doing so. She picks her lips.

There is no change: patient continues to be nursed out of doors. She is silent except when she asks to go home. She occupies herself only with picking her lips. She is indifferent to those around her, & resists having to take so much food.

Patient is quite quiet & quite unoccupied. She has always to be given her food with a spoon by the nurse, otherwise she would not take any. She does nothing & takes no interest in the people about her.

There is very little change: patient is still being spoon fed, & is resistive about going out etc. In the last two months she has gained about 9 lbs in weight.

During the last few days patient has taken her food herself & has occupied herself with knitting. She has gained other 4½ lbs in weight.

Patient is very much better & has now got parôle beyond the grounds & so she walks out alone. She says she remembers coming here & can't account for the queer ideas she then held. She says everything looked wrong & seemed to be wrong & she thought people were watching her. She is very bright now & impatient to be off, but has consented to wait 3 weeks longer. Weight is 6 st 10 lbs.

Patient has kept well so has gone home to-day with her sister, on leave on trial. Weight 6 st 10 lbs.

Patient is reported to be quite well, so on the authority of the petitioner she has been discharged.

Discharged June 15, 1909.

Recovered.

Miss Harriet C. Horsnail, died at Cockermouth on Saturday, aged 80. She was formerly a Y.W.C.A. missionary in India.