54 CASE HISTORIES 



of me. I fought it all the time and finally won out, and now it's 

 gone. ("What would have happened if you had given in?") 

 Why, something awful. I probably would have gone and done 

 those bad things they wanted to make me do." He believed he 

 had cured himself unaided by anything or anybody and resisted 

 my explanation of the phenomena just as obstinately as during 

 the psychosis. He much preferred to regard it as supernatural. 

 When I called his attention to Garland reacting angrily to his 

 hallucinations, he replied, " He has the power to see things that 

 you and I can't." 



I tried very hard to give him some insight into the delusions 

 he had suffered, but in vain. His superstitions were sufficient 

 to explain everything satisfactorily, and it was undoubtedly much 

 pleasanter to believe he had triumphed over a vile external foe 

 than to recognize that the tempters were his own repressed 

 desires. He hung on grimly to the belief that these hellish and 

 heavenly visitors had been real and he just knew that such things 

 could happen. 



After six weeks I was startled to discover that the delusions 

 had returned. There was a woman inside him, and "they" 

 were accusing him of being a Protestant. Devils sported around, 

 and something inside him was trying to drive him wild. The 

 nights were full of demons, bats, angels and all. The delusions 

 were not systematized again however, and no Masons tempted 

 him to commit perversions. 



It was useless to argue with him or to recall the interlude of 

 the infection. These spirits had departed at that time and now 

 they had returned, that was all. His conduct remained good and 

 he still used his parole of the grounds. He didn't do much but 

 sit around indifferently. 



Occupational therapy: He was interested from the begin- 

 ning and very anxious to work, but was nervous, obstinate and 

 wilful, refusing instruction, saying he knew how and then blund- 

 ering ahead with many mistakes. Once when he got all tangled 

 up in mistakes he burst into tears. Gradually he became less 

 nervous and more careful. His infected hand put an early stop 

 to his work. 



