Case 80. (Hurst, March, 1917.)
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Southard, Elmer Ernest
A private, 24, in the army from 16, never epileptic (sisters epileptic), was wounded four times in the war from September, 1914. Shell fire did not worry the man, but he gradually became depressed after his father and five brothers had died in active service. He was blown up and buried three times in one day in July, 1916. He was unconscious for two hours after the second blowing up, but carried on for two hours more until blown up for the third time.
After this, he became nervous and shaky, and began to sleep badly, and a month later had a typical attack of major epilepsy. Fits occurred with increasing frequency. As many as 19 occurred in a single day. Rest and bromides caused the fits to cease, and there had been none for six weeks at the time of his discharge.
Re the extraordinary delay in the bringing out of this epileptic’s taint, refer back to Case 76 of Bonhoeffer, with its discussion, and to another case of Hurst (64).
Re Shell-shock and its relations to epilepsy, see below, discussion under Cases 82-84 of Ballard, who has erected a theory of Shell-shock as in some sense epileptic.