Dr. P. L. Murphy on Mia

A young woman whose name I shall not disclose arrived at the State Hospital after being apprehended by Morgansborough police officers.   She was a foreign woman who only spoke in French or Italian; I thought her one of the Waldensian colonists. She exhibited signs of dementia praecox.   We observed she had hallucinations, auditory and potentially visual, delusions, mania, hysteria, and other signs of psychosis. The young lady responded to questions spoken in English which displayed some comprehension but never swayed in using either French or Italian the entire week she was in our care.   We secluded her away from the other patients. She seems to possess some natural form of tolerance to sedatives; we had to administer a larger dosage than recommended for a woman of her size. The patient in questions rarely ate or slept yet her physical state did not match the condition one would expect.   The day before she escaped I went to try once again to observe her. Though she shied away from me as I entered the room the patient sprung at me and clasped her hands about my throat.   At first I was alarmed, so I instinctively called for the nurse who came running. The girl’s touch was as light as a feather and we stood there with her frenzied eyes boring into mine. Within a few moments I saw the madness leave her.   She spoke but a few words in English ‘I do not belong here’.   At a loss I requested she stay observed for a few more days but at the shift change the following day she made her escape and nothing has been seen ever since.   Since her escape I’ve had a series of convulsions and have begun to monitor myself.   I do not believe this will be the last time this young woman will be admitted to an asylum.