The following information was obtained by
questioning
Frau Krupp von Bohlen, wife of the patient, Herr
Krupp's valet, and Frl. Krone, private secretary of the patient.
The patient had been physically a very active man. He hunted,
rode and played tennis. With the aid of guides, he was hunting deer
as recently as 1943. He was abstemious in his personal habits, did
not smoke or partake of alcohol. He retired to bed early, rarely
remaining up after 2200 hours. He had eight children, six sons and
two daughters. There is no family history of mental disorder or of
drug addiction.
Previous Illness: There is no history of any major illness. Since
1930, he has taken spa treatment each year for arthritis of the spine
and for hypotension. No radiographs were available to indicate the
true pathology of the spinal condition. The valet stated that the
patient, on the recommendation of his physicians, had been very
careful with his diet during the past ten years.
Present Illness: For several years, the patient had been subject
to giddy attacks. In consequence, his wife was always anxious when he
went hunting, lest he should have an attack whilst on the edge of a
cliff, and fall and kill himself. Two reliable guides always
accompanied him on his hunting excursions, and in 1942 Frau Krupp
also joined in expeditions in order to watch him.
Four years ago, the patient had a disturbance of vision primarily
due to dysfunction of the eye muscles. For a period he had double
vision. From this illness, he made an apparent complete recovery.
Two years ago he had a stroke, with weakness of the left side of
the face, and impaired function of the right side of the body.
Following the latter incident, impairment of gait, general weakness,
and impairment of mental functions became increasingly apparent. From
the middle of 1944 onwards, the patient became more and more
dependent upon his wife; she was the only person who seemed to
understand fully his speech and his needs.
On November 25th, 1944, he was proceeding from the garden towards
the house, and suddenly seemed to run (propulsion gait). Just before
reaching the house, he fell and injured his arm. As a result of this
accident, he attended the local hospital for treatment, traveling by
motor-car. On