Feigned diseases, their detection and management / by George Wilson.

  • Wilson, George
Date:
1871
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Feigned diseases, their detection and management / by George Wilson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ( difficulty with his water, but that was improved.’ His pulse was 76; but as he spoke of the severe injuries he had sustained by the neg-ligence of the company, and the heavy damages (two or three thousand pounds) that he would make the directors pay, he be¬ came very excited, and his pulse rose to 98. On getting him out of bed, he was unable, he said, to walk, or to bear any of the weight « of the body on his feet; he supported himself by the table, and in¬ sisted on being again carried immediately to his bed. There was no mark on any part of the back. During the whole of my attend¬ ance these symptoms remained. He complained of a sensation of pins and needles in both legs ; there was no reflex action ; no draw¬ ing up or starting of the legs ; no wasting. As we saw him in bed, he appeared a stout healthy man, but told us again and again, i that he had no power over his limbs, and that he was unable to walk.’ In the absence of all objective symptoms, I ventured to ex¬ press a very strong opinion that no permanent injury to the spine or spinal cord had been sustained; and in this opinion three other medical gentlemen concurred. Having satisfied myself that not only could he walk without assistance, but that he had actually done so, and that, too, at the time when he assured me that he was altogether incapable of moving his limbs, I discontinued my attend¬ ance. u A gentleman of great skill and long experience was now called in, and, through trusting to subjective symptoms only, he was led to conclude that the injury to the spine and spinal cord was severe and probably permanent. u About three months after the accident, the case was compro¬ mised, by a payment by the company of several hundred pounds. It is, doubtless, a consolation to this gentleman and his friends now to know that my prognosis was correct, and that his and their fears proved altogether groundless. Shortly after the case was settled, lie was observed walking about in the street. He has almost ever since attended to his business ; and no trace of the injury remains.” Occasionally, paralysis is feigned by convicts who have been ad¬ mitted into hospital, and are being treated for some other ailment. As an instance in point, I give the following case :—Prisoner G. D. was admitted into hospital 25th February for debility. He had lost a good deal of flesh, having been employed at hard labour, and said he felt dizzy when at exercise. His appetite was good, and he was put on liberal diet and tonics. Although he continued to improve in appearance and to gain weight, he himself would never admit that he was any better. On 22d March, the night-officer reported that he had a fit of some kind. Next day there was nothing un¬ usual in his appearance. His appetite had all along been good, and he could give no satisfactory explanation of how the fit came on. He was told that he was making rather too much of it; he took the hint, and has had no more fits since. But a few days afterwards he complained of soreness in the legs, and said he could not walk