THE YOUNG veteran, returned from the European front, was haunted by memories of being wounded and witnessing his brother being wounded. He was, he said, “allergic to people” and, “in search of solitude”, was working in the woods when a dog stole his lunch. He swung his axe and caught the “beast squarely between the shoulders”. In court, he blamed the war for the senseless slaughter. “I threw the axe at the dog, yes, and before I went to war that would have been wrong. Now that I’ve been trained to kill, it’s different.” At a distance of some 80 years, it is clear that this veteran was afflicted by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a life-shattering condition which would not be identified or treated for decades to come.