Jones reported in 1902 that cases of the hair turning " grey in a’ single night" are said occasionally to occur, but it is uncommon to meet with well-authenticated instances. The following case hardly comes under the category of " sudden blanching," as a period of five weeks in August and September last elapsed during which the hair and beard of this patient changed from a flecking of grey to absolutely pure white. Owing to this change, which an officer in charge of the patient described as having occurred "all at once," I hardly recognized the man upon my return after five weeks’ absence, although I had seen him frequently, almost daily, since his admission into the asylum eight years before. No other dermal or pigmentary changes occurred and there had been no affection of vision, hearing, or other of the special senses.
The patient was a thin, spare-built man suffering from paranoia, 53 years of age, five feet eight inches in height, and weighing 10 stones. He was a clear-complexioned, blue-eyed, intelligent and thoughtful-looking man, with some reserve of manner. For two or three months before admission into the asylum he gave way to drink as he had been much worried about his work in the electrical department of the General Post Office where he had been engaged for three years, but during the whole time was overstrained."
Previously to this he had been in India and Australia for about two years, and, with the above exception as to excessive use of alcohol, was described as "always reserved and steady.". He was married at the age of 23 years, had never had syphilis, and was said never to have had a day’s illness in his life. He developed delusions in regard to his occupation, suspecting that a cable was connected with his house at a pressure of 10,000 volts, which would kill him,
his wife, and his whole family (four children).
He connected this persecution with those most intimately associated with him in bonds of affection and became aggressive and dangerous towards them. Sleeplessness, fear, and apprehensiveness preceded aural and sensory disturbances which dominated his reason and controlled his actions; he became suicidal and was received into the Claybury Asylum in a low, depressed condition, with no appetite, and very deluded. The despondency increased, he
became feeble and emaciated, and the delusions of persecution became very prominent. He thought that he was being written about in all the papers. He became violent, very noisy, abusive, and aggressive, and was for a time under the influence of either bromides, chloral, or sulphonyl.
He improved somewhat physically, but latterly his emotional tone had become somber and melancholy. He stated that during the whole of August last a machine upon the roof shunted unbearable electrical currents upon him which so terrorized him that he feared that each night would be his last as his
life was to be destroyed.
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