Guest Hill 60 Posted 19 June , 2003 Share Posted 19 June , 2003 I have been going through my great grandfather's medical reports concerning his time in hospital in 1916/17 and 1919 when he was suffering severe shell-shock. There is one phrase that has me stumped. It refers to him being given the 'wire brush treatment'. Now, I know a few ways of getting suspects to talk but this one has got me! What on earth does it mean, any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 19 June , 2003 Share Posted 19 June , 2003 Lee Wire Brush Treatment was Electric Shock Treatment. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 19 June , 2003 Share Posted 19 June , 2003 Dave - Thank you for that. Poor soul, he really did suffer. Buried 4 times by shellfire in one day, unconcious for 4 days and dying in '67 whilst senile . I'm not up on this sort of treatment. I suppose that the 'wire brushes' were the connections? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 19 June , 2003 Share Posted 19 June , 2003 Lee Yes - this type of treatment was in its infancy and likely that the contections were rudimentary. See http://www.templehistory.dna.ie/shellshock.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garde Grenadier Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 Isn't that what Pat Barker describes in his trilogy: Regeneration, The Eye in the Door and The Ghost Road. At Craiglockhart officers ravaged by their experiences in trench warfare are getting all kinds of treatment, even the "wire brush"- e.g. someone who lost his speech and regained it through this brutal treatment. Regards Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 At Craiglockhart officers ravaged by their experiences in trench warfare are getting all kinds of treatment, even the "wire brush"- e.g. someone who lost his speech and regained it through this brutal treatment. Daniel - The more I hear the worst it sounds! My nan says that her father was a great man who had a good sense of humour but could really 'lose it' if startled by sudden loud noises. I wish I'd met him, he died in 1967 just 7 months after I was born. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raster Scanning Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 My father remembers a man from his childhood in Bedford. He appeared quite normal until a sudden noise startled him. He would stop dead and scream at the top of his voice. Then continue on his way as if nothing had happened. This as a result of experiences 20 odd years before. John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedley Malloch Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 Isn't that what Pat Barker describes in his trilogy: Regeneration, The Eye in the Door and The Ghost Road. At Craiglockhart officers ravaged by their experiences in trench warfare are getting all kinds of treatment, even the "wire brush"- e.g. someone who lost his speech and regained it through this brutal treatment. Regards Daniel Garde Grenadier; Pat Barker is a lady, not a chap. I don't think you would find electirc-shock treatment at Craiglockhart. Pitt-Rivers, the MO I/C, was an early pyscho-therapist of the Jungian (I think) school. His treatment was to let his patients talk through the experiences which had traumatised them and to help them come to terms with them. Electric-shock treatment was used in some London hospitals and they are described in the PB trilogy. Pitt-Rivers had no time for it and it is mentioned in the trilogy as a very brutal contrast to his approach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 Lee This type of treatment was widely used at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley for soldiers who had been 'diagnosed' as NYKN - Not Yet Known Nervous which is what shellshock affects were often labelled. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 Dave - Cheers mate. I don't think he was there, he seemed to be at Queen Mary's Royal Navy Hospital in Southend before moving onto others including Granville Canadian Special Hospital (where's that?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 Lee The Granville Hospital was at Ramsgate, Kent from 15 Nov 15 to 18 Oct 17 when it transferred to Buxton, Derbyshire Queen Mary's Hospital was a temporary War Hospital see http://www.southend.gov.uk/content.asp?content=1172 Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garde Grenadier Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 Isn't that what Pat Barker describes in his trilogy: Regeneration, The Eye in the Door and The Ghost Road. At Craiglockhart officers ravaged by their experiences in trench warfare are getting all kinds of treatment, even the "wire brush"- e.g. someone who lost his speech and regained it through this brutal treatment. Regards Daniel Garde Grenadier; Pat Barker is a lady, not a chap. I don't think you would find electirc-shock treatment at Craiglockhart. Pitt-Rivers, the MO I/C, was an early pyscho-therapist of the Jungian (I think) school. His treatment was to let his patients talk through the experiences which had traumatised them and to help them come to terms with them. Electric-shock treatment was used in some London hospitals and they are described in the PB trilogy. Pitt-Rivers had no time for it and it is mentioned in the trilogy as a very brutal contrast to his approach. Thanks for putting me right, Hedley. It just sprang to my mind, that Pat Barker mentioned this treatment in HER book, not that the psycho-therapist Pitt-Rivers used it. Nonetheless, it sounded dreadful. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 The Granville Hospital was at Ramsgate, Kent from 15 Nov 15 to 18 Oct 17 when it transferred to Buxton, Derbyshire Dave - The paperwork for Granville Hospital is date stamped 1919. I know that my nan was born in Ramsgate and that Samuel died in Margate. He had been discharged from the CEF in 1917 and had attended the Granville in 1919 after the symptoms of the shellshock didn't go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedley Malloch Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 Nonetheless, it sounded dreadful. If you can see the film 'Regeneration' then the closing scenes include a re-enactment of the electric shock treatment. It doesn't look too clever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 Is not some form of electro-convulsive therapy still used ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 Yes ECT is still in use today. It is still a therapy which still has pro and anti factions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 20 June , 2003 Share Posted 20 June , 2003 I frequently hear testimony of psychiatrists. For severe intractable depression, i.e. that which is quite disabling, may lead to death, resistant to drug treatment with different types and doses tried it's the treatment of choice after largely falling out of favor previously. I have a good friend and WFA member, all teatments have failed for her poor thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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