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A Characteristic Attitude assumed by many Cases of Dementia Præcox

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2018

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The accompanying photograph illustrates an attitude when sitting frequently adopted by many cases of dementia praecox. The point to which special attention is directed is the position of the arms and hands. The arms are held close to the trunk, with, as a rule, the elbow-joint in a condition of stiff extension and the hands in pronation, and resting on the lower part of the thighs, or even on the knees. When the photograph was taken there was no special posing for the purpose of this note, the subjects merely being told to sit down. In the wards I have seen these particular patients as well as others maintain this position for hours at a time. They sit, as a rule, rigidly upright, for example, in the case of the man shown, whose head is erect with the eyes staring forwards. In other cases the body and head may be bent slightly forwards. Most frequently the feet and knees are found to be close together, but, as in the case of the woman on the extreme right, the legs may be kept apart.

Type
Part I.—Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1916 
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