17.9 Female, Married, 45-54 yrs, Involutional melancholia, July 1946

Notes from visit: Home Conditions - It is a roomy and solid farmhouse - quite prosperous looking. She showed me the old-fashioned and well kept furniture with pride. She runs the house herself and has not been able to get help since Christmas. It was all very clean and only her father in law's room was frousty, but he gets bladder trouble and the smell was probably attributable to that. I visited the pantry where she showed me 51 pounds of jam, made during the season. There were lots of eggs and hams hanging and she insisted on giving me a pot of jam. I tried to leave it behind but she ran out with it for me. She asked if I knew of anyone who would help her in the house. Mental Health – [Patient] is now able to work and do the dirtiest farm jobs. She cleans out the hens and looks after the animals and is very pleased that she has none of her obsessions left. She was full of energy in fact she tended to be boisterous but I found her more like an over active normal person that a sick person. There was however, something lacking in her make up. Her personality has no warmth. Her face was somewhat mask like and her voice rather too loud and hearty. She gave me the impression of a lively and good natured robot.