Læknablaðið - 01.06.1961, Síða 53

LÆKNABLAÐIÐ
81
eral months laler she wrote me
that she had hroken it off. I
heard she was again hospital-
ized from June 1956 to Febru-
ary 1957. Her diagnosis I was
not told, but that she had moved
to. Florida shortly afler leaving
the hospital.
Lucille was tlie first in her
family to break and the one
to become sick earliest in life
and in a most severe and ob-
vious form. Although the first
to manifest illness, in this
emotionally and physically sick
family, with the help she got
and with some learning from
life experience, she did bettei
in life than all of them. In 1931,
I was neither ahle to nor would
I liave dared make sucli a fav-
orable prognosis as her actual
history revealed, nor would I
todaj% although I might tend to
he more optimistic.
What happened with Artliur,
the meekest man I ever worked
with? He came to me at age
27, tormented hy tlioughts that
God would strike him dead for
having convinced a girl to have
an illegal abortion. This was
in 1936, 24 years ago. I was
never quite clear whether he
had visual and auditory hallu-
cinations or not. Even as earlv
as the age of 8 lie had severe
phobias and ohsessions. Because
of his emotional difficulties he
could not complete his educa-
tion. He was working on the
W.P.A. — a government wel-
fare project during the depres-
sion — when I first saw him.
I worked with him for ten years
and a colleague for three years
more. In tliis period he moved
through a succession of hetter
and better johs. He completed
his education. He now earns
ahout $20.000,00 a year in one
of the outstanding firms in the
city as head of one of their de-
partments. Also he married
twelve years ago and is living
a fairly happy life. I hear ahout
him from time to time. Yearly
I receive New Year’s greetings
and last year from Europe.
The prognosis certainly did
not look good from the initial
picture. His emotional and
pliysical hereditary and endow-
ment were not good. He had
had the start of good education.
Tlie circumstances of theW.P.A.
and the subsequent war years
operated in his favor. One
quality he had which blocked
therapj' for a long time hut
ultimatety served him in good
stead. Meek as lie was lie was
even more stubborn, which in
time hecame transformed into
a constructive perseverance and
tenaeity. A pettiness and small-
ness which lie also showed, be-
came transformed into an in-
finite capacity for taking paíns
with details and an unusual de-
pendability in this regard.
There are a number of rea-