Glacier County chief., 1939-03-03
PATIENT TELLS OF
HER FEELINGS AS
HER MIND RETURNS
Quick Results Are Obtained by
Use of Injections of
Metrazol.

MERIDIAN, MISS. - Shocked
from insanity, a woman released
from the East Mississippi state hos
pital here recalls with clarity the
delusiens she felt in that gray world.
The woman who prefers to re-
main anonymous, is one of Is per-
sons believed cured by the "shock
treatment" 1t consists of convul-
sions and 55-second coma induced
by injections of Metrazol, a COM
paratively new discovery.
The II women and four men thus
far released are part of group of
62 treated. One of them had been
insane for 20 years. Others of the
group may be released soon. Only
two failed to react at all, and only
seven responded slightly. No deaths
from the treatment have occurred,
physicians said.
Looking back, the woman remem-
beers that it was after the third in
lection of Metrazol that she began
to recognize members of her fam
lily. Then she said she realized for
the first time that she had been in
sane. She realized her position and
saw her companions as they were.
She also knew the reality of insan-
ity and the possibility of her being
cured.
Feared Poison Food.
This woman remembers refusing
to eat anything not wrapped in eel
lophane for fear of being poisoned.
At one time she said she thought
if anybody touched her they would
die.
Describing the treatment by
Metrazol injections, she said:
The first time l thought they
were killing me, that they were
planning to put me out of my mis-
cry. l hoped l would die. But after
the third shot l understood what
they were doing and I was glad. I
prayed to live"
Great care must be used in its ad-
ministration of the shock treatment,
according to DR.. William ]. Cava-
naugh. staff physician and psychia-
trist. The patient must not have
any organic disease. acute infection
or heart trouble which would make
the shock too dangerous.
DR.. r. L. Rhymes, staff physi-
clan and surgeon, told of the thor
ough physical examination and cor
rection of defects by surgery, the
building up by diet, hydrotherapy
and electrotherapy given patients
before they are given the treat
ment.
Other Treatments Used.
I'VE are using the treatment,
which is. of course, only one of the
forms of treatment in this hospital,
with encouraging results with the
schizophrenic PATIENTS Supt. John
S. Hickman said.
This group includes the split per-
sonality" class The treatment has
also proved effective in treatment
of nearly all forms of insanity ex-
cept those having organic causes or
in which the brain tissues are in
jured or destroyed, Doctor Hickman
said
Describing the treatment, an edu.
Gated patient, improving under the
series of shock but still undergoing
the Metrazol treatment, said:
ITS indescribable.
Il imagine deadly shock of cleo
tricity is like it. 1t is like being
stifled. 1t goes up my arm and then
around my heart and in my chest.
Then lose consciousness. 1t knocks
me out completely 1t kills me.
That's what it does l can feel my
eyes jerk and my jaws open and
that's all l know.
When it is over, sleep awhile
and when wake up l can't remem-
Der anything. Gradually it comes
back to me, but it is blank from the
time of the shot until wake up"