Two documents

The author was struck by two documents in his grandfather's possession. The first, a photograph of his mother -- his great-grandmother. The photograph is not dated but was likely taken between 1933 and 1934. The identity of her male companion is not known. She's a young woman -- beautiful,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Medical Association journal (CMAJ) 2017-05, Vol.189 (21), p.E750-E751
Main Author: Chin-Yee, Benjamin Hull, BSc MA
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bipolar disorder
Canadians
Case studies
Diagnosis
Family medical history
Family Relations - psychology
Female
Humanities
Humans
Internal Medicine
Male
Medical history taking
Medical Records
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - psychology
Narratives
Women
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Summary:The author was struck by two documents in his grandfather's possession. The first, a photograph of his mother -- his great-grandmother. The photograph is not dated but was likely taken between 1933 and 1934. The identity of her male companion is not known. She's a young woman -- beautiful, at the prime of life. The second, a medical document. This document contains much more and much less information. Atop the page they find the young woman's name: "Fairhurst, Miriam nee Hull." According to the "Personal History," the patient is 25 years of age and has been married for two years. She was born in Montreal. This was not her first "attack of insanity" -- according to the document, she was at the same hospital three previous times. This time, she exhibited symptoms of "sleeplessness" and "mental tension." As physicians, they strive to "know their patients." This well-intentioned task must be approached with humility.
ISSN:0820-3946
1488-2329
DOI:10.1503/cmaj.161287