Text of Report on Herr Hess' Health. At the request of the Foreign Office we have today seen and examined Herr Rudolf Hess after having read all previous medical reports. Herr Hess is suitably accommodated and he made no complaint about his circumstances. The services of an experienced physician are available, whenever required. Since his arrival in this country Herr Hess has experienced (1) phases of depression and emotional instability, and (2) recurring upper abdominal discomfort. Herr Hess told us that the latter had troubled him from time to time in Germany in recent years, and that an X-ray examination had proved negative. He himself attributes this symptom to overwork and nervous strain and it seems clear that it is a functional disturbance, without any organic basis. More recently he has noticed a feeling of exhaustion on walking and (quite wrongly) he has attributed this to weakness of the heart and has therefore taken less exercise. Today Her Hess complained of no symptoms except slight upper abdominal discomfort and a tendency to constipation, which he relieves by an occasional mild purgative. He informed us that his appetite is good and that he is sleeping well without the use of sedatives. He occupies himself with reading and writing; he is able to take walking exercise. Herr Hess looks healthy, is well nourished and shows no indication of anemia. A complete and thorough physical examination revealed no evidence of organic lesion in any system and left us in no doubt that he is in excellent physical health. |