Case 96. (Kastan, January, 1916.)
A German soldier, New Year’s Eve, 1915, got away from his company, drank whiskey, and came back drunk. He bothered his comrades so that the non-commissioned officer had to call for help; whereupon the soldier said, “A man who comes on late and hasn’t been in much, hasn’t much to say. If it is a non-commissioned officer, I shall hit him in the snout.” The officer kept talking to him kindly but he cried “Halt’s Maul, you crooked …!” He staggered up to the lieutenant without saluting, but at a slight push fell prone into the straw.
It transpired that the man had not been intoxicated enough to lose all control of himself. He did not remember anything about what he had done; he had drunk a half-bottle of rum during the evening. There was a demonstrable lack of memory. He did not know the German provinces, and thought that Bismarck had once been war minister. There was a tremor, hypalgesia of the left leg and analgesia of the left arm and left shoulder.
It was found that he came from a strongly tainted family, with two insane sisters and three insane cousins. He had been a good soldier during his service, but had accused his father of alcoholism baselessly. He had always been difficult to manage when drunk and had been convicted nine times: five for dangerous assault and battery. He drank up to 1⅓ litres of whiskey a day if he got time, and also took ether. For some ten years he had been amnestic for what he did while drunk; nor, according to his wife, had he been able recently to stand so much alcohol. He said that he had had a fall from a wagon in 1911 or ’12, after which he had been unconscious.
Antebellum, run over by an automobile; intolerance of alcohol; episodes of amnesia after moderate alcohol.
Case 97. (Kastan, January, 1916.)
A German soldier was advanced in rank February 26, 1915, and in honor thereof drank six or seven glasses of beer. On his way home, he met a captain and failed to salute him. When called to account, he said he could not see, and made remarks about regrettable behavior. He refused to go along with the officer. Afterwards he remembered that he had been stopped by an officer but had forgotten subsequent happenings.
March 24, he was riding in an electric car with a lieutenant. He said to the lieutenant who had unbuckled his sabre, “It is a piece of insolence and improper to unbuckle the sabre.” He repeated the phrase on questioning. He was then asked to give his name, and replied, “I know my name but what is your name, Mr. Lieutenant?” He looked drunk at the time but afterwards remembered nothing.
Physically he was tremulous and showed blepharospasm. His face grew red on bending over.