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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

doctor please diagnose


chaz

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one of my collection Aaron Joseph Lawson 96513 ended up a WO2 with the Labour Corp, previously a CSM with the R.F.A he died 2nd July 1918 at home , buried at Brookwood Cemetery.

according to one source he Died : from Pulmonary Tuberculosis 02.07.1918 at Middlesex War Hospital,   Napsbury, St Albans, Herts 

on another he is recorded 

Ailment:

General paralysis of the insane

Date of Transfer From Other Hospitals:

04/06/1918

 

would Kew records tell any more MH106/1547 MH106/1547 ?  apparently he had not 'been in good health' after returning from France where he was in 1916. possible gas?

would the Pulmonary Tuberculosis and paralysis of the insane be connected?

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Almost certainly not; GPI is usually the end stage of tertiary syphilis.

 

If he had pulmonary (i.e. lung) TB, the gas would had a more damaging effect even than usual.

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thankyou Jane

he got released from the GPI hospital less than a month before he died, I thought it was only the OR's that caught syphilis overseas, but he was married with children as an instructor at home.

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Tertiary syphilis can take years to develop, and sometimes never does, so it could even have been wild oats sown before marriage that caught up with him in the end. 

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I don't think that all cases of deaths recorded as having died in a mental hospital  of General paralysis of the insane

can be attributed to having died of syphilis although it could have been one of the causes 

 

I researched a sailor some time back who was severely shell shocked reduced to a quivering wreck evacuated home and admitted into the local mental hospital as a lunatic  

his death is recorded as having died of General paralysis of the insane

 

Ray

 

Edit

Footnote that's not to say the the sailor in question was not also suffering from syphilis  his condition "shell shock"  could also have been wrongly diagnosed  and his mental illness may have been  the result of a syphilis infection,  One has to keep an open mind 

 

LINK general paralysis of the insane

Edited by RaySearching
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That's interesting Ray, thanks. 

 

Although I notice in post #1 that Napsbury is described as the Middlesex War Hospital, and that it wasn't uncommon for patients to be cleared from asylums to make room for military casualties; so it wasn't necessarily known as a lunatic asylum during the war.

 

 

Edited by seaJane
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The LCC handed the hospital to the Army for surgical and medical cses.The original patients might have been transferred to near by mental hospitals Shenleybury. Harperbury and Leavesden,

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1 hour ago, RaySearching said:

I don't think that all cases of deaths recorded as having died in a mental hospital  of General paralysis of the insane

can be attributed to having died of syphilis although it could have been one of the causes 

In medicine you can never say 'never' or 'always', but I'd say that if it says GPI, then it's a strong probability rather than a  mere possibility.

A surprisingly large proportion of mental hospital inmates  with dementia like illnesses in the pre-penicillin era had GPI and died of it.

And there would be at the time a serological test (WR) to confirm the diagnosis, although how widespread was its use, I can't say.

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his summary of service, so could have got anywhere!!!  would like to reunite my trio with his LSGC issued in 1911.

 

Born: 30.04.1878
Christened/Baptised: 02/06/1878 son of William Joseph and Elizabeth Mary. 
Census: 1891 living at 32 Exmouth Road, Great Yarmouth 
Enlisted: as a boy age 14y  into Royal Artillery 11/12m 17/03/1893
Certificate: 3rd class exam 29.04.1893
Certificate: 2nd class exam 25.10.1893
Transferred: Boy 15.12.1893
    at home: 17.03.1892 to 09.10.1894
Appointed:  Trooper 10.10.1894
Transferred: 10.10.1894
Reverted:  Boy 26.02.1895
       :   Driver 17.04.1896
    In Gibraltar:  10.10.1894 to 18.07.1896
Transferred:  Driver 26.07.1896
Appointed: A Bombardier 16.10.1896
Promoted: Bombardier..08.1897
Certificate: corporal 22.09.1897
Posted: Re-organisation 15.07.1898
Elected to: 01.04.1898
Promoted: to Corporal 21.10.1898
Certificate: Gunnery 31.01.1900
Posted: to Corporal 15.02.1900
Certificate: Sergeant 22.11.1900
Census: 1901 none, presumably as living in camp.
Promoted: to Sergeant 14.03.1901 110th Bty R.F.A
Elected: 1902
21 years service: 30.11.1904
Certificate: 1st class exam 28.03.1905
Married 07.09.1905 to Alice Emily Deacon at Fittleton, Wilts occupation Sergeant in R.F.A
Posted: Sergeant 20.07.1908
    At Home 26.07.1896 to 15.11.1915
    Expeditionary Force to France 1914
    To France 16.11.1915 to 09.02.1916
    To Home from 10.02.1916
Daughter Victoria Mary born 10.11.1906
Son William Albert born 01.12.1909
1911 Census: address Artillery Drill Hall, Nelson Road, Great Yarmouth
Son Reginald Percival Gordon born 26.09.1911
Permitted to continue in service past 21 years: 19.12.1913
Promoted: B.S.M 17.03.1914 1st East Anglian Bde R.F.A
Promoted: W.O class 2 29.01.1915
Posted: B.S.M 17.01.1916
Joined: 09.02.1916 ~4Reserve Bde. 
Transferred: 11.05.11917
Transferred: to Labour Corps C.S.M 18.05.1917
Posted: B.S.M 04.01.1918
Elected: to continue in service and draw pension 11.03.1918
Died : from Pulmonary Tuberculosis 02.07.1918 at Middlesex War Hospital,   Napsbury, St Albans, Herts . Estate worth £230.3s.8d
Total service: Attestation to death 25yrs 108 days   
 

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I see from another post that MH 106 records for Napsbury have now been added to FindMyPast's holdings.

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Some have but not the one the OP was after, the BEF France set ends with MH106/1544, 1917 Aug/5/1917 - Sept/21/1917. May have to wait till the next update.

TEW

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Oh, ok - sorry!

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