, entered
freely into conversation, comprehending readily what was said to him
and exhibiting no difficulty in elaborating his ideas. He talked in a
slow, deliberate and rather mysterious manner and a low tone of voice.
The family history as given by him was negative. He himself had the
usual diseases of childhood, but, aside from chronic indigestion, had
had no severe illness. He gave his occupation as that of physician. In
1862 he enlisted in the Union Army as a nurse and was discharged six
months later; claims that in 1865 he graduated in medicine from the
University of Maryland, which profession he practiced at W---- until
1881. He then moved to Ohio, because, he says, he could endure no
longer the persecution of a good many enemies which he had made on
account of his service in the Union Army. In Ohio, he states, he
engaged in the manufacture of proprietary medicines and claims to have
sold out his business sometime later for $50,000.

Some idea of the patient's daily conduct may be had from the
statements of his landlady, with whom he lived for a considerable
time.

It seems that he occupied a room on the top floor, which he would
allow no one to enter. If anyone rapped on the door he would open it
very slightly and cautiously, conducting conversation through a crack
in the door. He led the life of a hermit, living in absolute
seclusion, cooking his own meals in his room. After he was removed to
the Hospital this room was entered and newspapers were found piled as
high as the ceiling; many of the articles in them were underscored,
and numerous clippings were pasted on doors and windows as well as on
walls; everything was covered with dirt and dust, and the cooking
utensils were strewn all over the room. This lady said that during his
stay there he was always very suspicious, kept the blinds drawn, and
seemed to be constantly afraid that something was going to happen.

Examination of the patient soon after admission revealed a
well-organized and very extensive delusional system, which, according
to his story, apparently had its inception during the Civil War. It
seems that he had caused the apprehension and execution of a
Confederate spy, and ever since then, he states, the relatives and
friends of this man have been persecuting him. In 1889 he was granted
a pension of $25 per month, but he did not think that this was a fair
deal inasmuch