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The following case was seen and analyzed by me at Maghull Red Cross Hospital, England:
The patient was a private in the British Army; 33 years old; married. He was admitted to Maghull in August, 1918, as a case of “war neurosis,” having been blown up in France and having developed an anxiety condition following it. Immediately after admission, he developed a mastoiditis and was sent to a general hospital where a mastoid operation was performed. He was returned to Maghull on September 18, 1918, with the wound only partially healed and first came under my care at that time.
The history obtained from my first interview was, briefly, this: All of his family had died of tuberculosis Patient stated that he had always been nervous, shy and sensitive and had been subject to attacks of depression. Apprenticed at 14 in an engineering firm, he had, at first, done quite well. Then, when about 17, he found the strain of his work too much for him. He would go and shut himself up in his room and would prefer to be alone. At 18, following his sister's death from tuberculosis, he “used to look forward to death forever after.” He developed attacks of diarrhea and would vomit anything on his stomach. He also suffered from headache and neuralgia. In 1913, when 28 years old, he married and, a year later, his only child was born. In 1914, his mother died of tuberculosis. Patient had a depression lasting about six months. Most of the time, he was in bed and had severe headaches. He became more and more convinced that he was going to die of tuberculosis and worried a great deal