A Violent Break at St. Joseph’s
A patient suffering from an epileptic seizure and subsequent acute psychosis requires transfer to Steilacoom.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
John Johnson was taken with epilepsy at the Western hotel on Sunday, and after having a succession of fits was confined to St. Joseph's hospital. On Monday he was found to be suffering from acute insanity, and violently attacked one of the sisters in attendance. Measures were at once taken for his removal to Montesano, preliminary to his being sent to Steilacoom.
“On Monday he was found to be suffering from acute insanity, and violently attacked one of the sisters in attendance.”
This account captures the era's medical understanding of mental illness, where patients were often transferred to the Western State Hospital in Steilacoom. Today, Aberdeen and the broader Grays Harbor region continue to grapple with the scarcity of mental health beds and the challenges of providing acute psychiatric care in rural or semi-rural settings.
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