Witnesses to marriage: Alex Sutherland & Lou Copp. Have copy of marriagecertificate. 1883 Toronto CityDirectory: worked for T. Alison; lived at 95 Alexander1887: worked as traveler; boardedat 283 Church St1890 & 1895: traveler for Mark Fisher & Sons &co. , address listed as 309 Huron1897: listed just as traveler, 309 Huron.Listed as getting 1/2 of dad's estate, but in 1905 was in an insaneasylum, Brockville , Ontario - had been in for 3 months as of Aug 8, 1905- declared incompetent & not likely to recover - have statement by Dr.with the probate court record.1894 address given as 517 Besserer St, Ottawa - until at leastafter his discharge from Brockville in 1911.Admittedto Brockville Insane Hospital from May to Nov 1905; transferred toToronto Asylum Dec to June 30, 1906; Readmitted to Brockville Oct 19,1908 to discharge Apr. 20, 1911.Notes from 1905 admission to Brockville:4/19/1905 - 'Married man age 40. Has been a commercial traveller. Ahistory of mental trouble for about 18 months previous toadmission...........Admitted 4/19/05........A healthy well developedman. Clean and neat. Good conversationalist & apparently realizes thatsomething is wrong. He came in quite voluntarily & says he wantstreatment. Very reserved & dignified. Has been troubled a little byconstipation. Tongue slightly coated. Appetite very good & sleepingpretty well........."knee jerk" in 1 leg is about gone, in the other legvery sluggish....Pupils do not respond to light or distance as theyshould.' 4/30/05 - 'He has many exalted ideas of his ownimportance & his ability.......Has control of millions of money & thinkshe has great political influence....Imagines that the politicians areruining his family because they are jealous of his greatpowers.........Is continually writing to the "Masons" placing his case intheir hands & asking them to take an interest in him & assist him.'6/28/05 - 'Isgradually becoming more morose......Appetite poor & he refuses to enterinto conversation.....His hair is dropping out & his general appearanceis very bad.'7/15/05 - 'He has failed 15 pounds & is very sullen &obstinate.......Appetite very poor.'8/31/05 - 'Still failing in weight....Imagines that patients on the hallare his enemies & attacks some of them very viciously.....Both knee jerksgone & pupils do not respond to light or distance....He concealed aroller towel in his room & when it was found he objected to the attendanttaking it, so he was removed to a dormitory.'9/21/05 - 'No changementally.....Looks very bad.....Takes very littlenourishment....Continually crying & praying to be let go to hisfamily.......Will ask 5 or 6 times in 1 minute to be allowed togo......Still writes nice letters to his wife.......No errors in spelling& in his letters to her he never mentions any of his trouble or hisdelusions.....He has always made an attempt to keep his person clean & toput on his clothes neatly.'10/14/05 - 'Has refused to eat anything & was fed thismorning with a tube....Very troublesome.....Does not sleep withoutsedatives.'10/25/05 - Since being fed he iseating better & looks a little better, but continually asking to gohome....Will strike other patients without the slightest provocation.'On 10/31/05 - 'Transferred to Toronto Asylum......Has gained 7pounds in weight in last month.'Notes from second admission toBrockville - Admitted 10/19/1908; Examined 11/19/1908.'PHYSICAL EXAMINATION': 'The patient is a medium sized fairly wellnourished & well developed man....The features are symmetrical & wellformed....In fact, he has the appearance of a man of good averageintelligence.....The tongue is fairly clean but is inclined to beflabby....The teeth are regular & in good condition, the palate arch isnot higher than normal....The eyes are straight, pupils are concentric &equal & respond well to light & distance but the vision is not very goodfor he has had to wear glasses for the past 20 years.......Chest is wellformed....Expansion is good...Lungs & heart are normal.....There is afair amount of panniculus on abdomen & there is no tenderness or rigidityon palpation......The reflexes are all normal....Gait, Station, Speech &Grasp are normal.'PATIENT HISTORY: 'Age 43years.....Episcopalian....Good public school education......Married sincehe was 21 years of age.....Occupation Commercial Traveller......Hismother & father are both dead......Mother died from acute bronchitis atage of 48......Father died, age 79, from uremic poison.......He hs 2sisters ages 60 & 75 (elsewhere age is given as 25) & 2 brothers ages 42& 56.......One sister died at age of 34 from hemorrhage of thebrain.....3 brothers are dead; 1 was killed in an accident, the othersdied cause unknown........He has 3 children ages 20, 16, & 6 years & allare healthy, strong & well developed........There is no history ofinsanity in the relatives or ancestors of the patient.....2 brothers aresupposed to be troubled with kidney disease at the present time.....Theinfancy & childhood of the patient were normal in every way.....He wasnever fond of school as he was too fond of play to apply himself....Inhis childhood the only disease which he had was the small-pox.....About 8years ago he had an attack of renal calculus.....About 18 years ago hewas vaccinated & since then he has been troubled withpsorasis.........When 8 years of age he was struck on the head with astone & following this he developed brain fever from which he was veryill & following this he was subject to bad headaches & occasional heavyattacks of epistaxis......About 16 years ago he had a slight sun-strokewhen in Montreal.....The present attack commenced about 5 years ago &although the symptoms have been irregular at times he has never been well& on the whole the trouble has been progressive.....He was confined toBrockville Eastern Hospital & in the Toronto Hospital (5/05-11/05 &12/05-6/06 resp.).....when the attacks first commenced he suffered veryseverely from headaches, became melancholy, suspicious of people & hadcrying spells. Somewhat depressed at times & very restless, becamereticent, seclusive, confused memory became poor & there was some selfaccusation.......Lately he has become dangerous to his family, accuseshis wife of being unfaithful.........The doctors state that he isslovenly in his habits, carelessbout his dress, talks about his headbreaking with pain......He says his brain is breaking in 2 & breaking outthrough his eyes & he says that his enemies are persecuting him.......Hethreatened to smash his wife, accuses her wrongfully & has taken hold ofher & shaken her......When well he was always very kind to her.'MENTAL EXAM: NORM: 'Patient was a good steadyworker....Temperate in his habits of a mild disposition though inclinedto be jealous & perverse.'ORIENTATION: 'Is goodin all the 3 spheres......He knows who he is, where he is, & those abouthim.........His memory is defective though it is fairly good.........Hecannot tell the year he was confined in this hospital before.....Nor canhe tell the year that he was in the Toronto Asylum.......Nor can he tellthe date when he was admitted this time........He does not seem to haveany Hallucinations or Illusions but I am sure he has some Delusionsthough he tries to conceal them very carefully......He says he ispossessed of great strength & that he has a very bright intellect.....Hesays he was always a good reader of high class literature, but when askedwho were his favorite authors he said he was more of a student than anovel reader; when asked what authors he studied from he replied that hestudied from nature & from magazines.............When asked if he had anyenemies he replied that the doctors that sent him here could answer thatquestion.....He is very unreasonable at times......Frequently when I seehim he will ask me for tobacco....If I have none he will order me to go &get some for him immediately & wanted to know "what in hell kind of aplace this is that a fellow cannot get some kind of tobacco".......Infact if he is crossed in any way he becomes very abusive.'ASSOCIATION: 'Good onany subject of conversation though he is apt to get cranky & not talkwhen one gets enquiring into his previous life.'INSIGHT: 'Very poor.....He has no idea of is mentalcondition.......In fact judging from his general conversation he thinkshimself quite intellectual.....I do not think that his E. T. is quite upto the normal.....He says he wants to go home & that he is fond of hiswife but I am of the idea that he just wants to get away from here for hedoes not seem to speak of his home with much feeling.'JUDGMENT: 'Poor or he would not talk to people in themanner he does & expect them to do him favors.....He is a man of ratherdeep disposition......He will not get up but prefers to be in bed all thetime & he is very cranky with the other patients & attendants.'5/30/08: 'There has been vry little change in the condition ofthis patient since his admission......At times he is very contrary & hardto get along with.....He thinks that the people here are responsible forkeeping him here & is very unreasonable about everything.'4/8/09 'No change.'8/22/09: 'General health is good....No change in his mental condition.'2/21/10: 'This patient has neither shown improvement orgrown worse......He goes about & never speakes unless spoken to & thenhis conversation is rational.....In his letters there is a vastdifference as a rule being very disjointed & rambling....On coming out ofdining room he often goes direct to the partition between hall &vestibule & kisses the woodwork.....At times he talks to himself, but itis hard to follow as he is very guarded in answering when spokento........Never works as he thinks it is beneath his dignity.....At timeshe claims the picture of King Edward is his photograph......Sleeps & eatswell, health is fairly good.' (Signed by J. H. Burns)10/13/10: 'This patient shows a decided improvement.....Heis much more sociable & is always polite....He works with the gardenerall day & while on the ward is always willing to do anything that isasked of him.....He appears to be in good health & wants to go home &support his family.....His bowels are regular & his appetite isgood.....This patient never tries to escape.' (Signed by Wm. Reilly)CONF HELD 3/30/09: 'Drs. Moher, Mitchell & Gilmourpresent.........When brought into the conference room he wanted to knowwhat we had to say to him now.....He was asked a number of questions & toall he would answer either "That is my business or that is your business"& only when asked if he wanted to go home would give a straightanswer.......He appears to be quite annoyed when questioned....He stilllretains the same ideas of persecution & thinks himself that he is quiteintelligent & perfectly well.'1/20/11: 'This patient has beengradually improving since last March 1910.........He spent the summerworking in the garden & takes a great interest there....His letters homebecame gradually more intelligent & since Oct. they have been quiterational.....He is allowed to go downtown to church & has been verybright......He has a considerable insight into his past condition &states that there was something like a nightmare & that he remembers allthat he did.....He says he felt that he was being persecuted by everyone& that he had to fight against them.....Those ideas have all left him &he now feels as well as ever.....All agreed that this patient at presentis quite well & we have written to his son to make arrangements for himto go home.....They have replied & are willing & are makingarrangements.....It was agreed that this was a case of paranoia.'He was discharged 1/27/11 on probation for a month, then 4/20/11 wasdischarged permanently.
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