T25 Report of Psychiatric Examination of Jack Ruby by Dr. Louis Jolyon West
Back
T25 Report of Psychiatric Examination of Jack Ruby by Dr. Louis Jolyon West
Report of Psychiatric Examination of Jack Ruby by Louis Jolyon West, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine in Oklahoma City, dated Sunday, April 26, 1964. The report discusses Dr. West's psychiatric examination of Ruby, conducted the day after Ruby attempted suicide by banging his head on the walls of his jail cell. Dr. West describes Ruby's delusions that outside his jail cell is a widespread massacre of the Jewish people, caused by the fact that the nation now blames Ruby for the Kennedy assassination. Ruby distrusts the doctor since he denies that these massacres are happening. Dr. West concludes with a diagnosis of acute psychosis, a paranoid state, and suicidal tendencies. He recommends that Ruby be transferred to a mental facility for proper assessment and treatment. The report is signed by Dr. West and David Candish, Notary Public.The report is typed and five pages long.
T25 Report of Psychiatric Examination of Jack Ruby by Dr. Louis Jolyon West
04/26/1964
Paper
13 × 8 1/2 in. (33 × 21.6 cm)
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
2002.034.0002
In a Museum oral history recorded less than two months before his death, defense attorney Phil Burleson discussed Jack Ruby's delusions, which included his belief in the widespread murder of Jewish people: "[Jack Ruby] became erratic. It was worse after the sentence, during the course of the appeal. He was of the opinion the Jews were being killed by the thousands.... I would go see him--again, this is after the verdict--and he said, 'I saw them kill Earl last night.' And I said, 'No, they didn't kill Earl.' \'"Yeah, I saw them kill him.' And I'd get on the telephone and get Earl on the telephone, and he'd talk to Earl and they'd talk about things that only he and Earl would know about. He'd hang up and say, 'That wasn't Earl...'At that point, he was totally out of it. I mean, this is after many, many, many months of him seeing Earl being killed and [sister] Eva being killed and hundreds of Jews being killed, and that [Lyndon] Johnson was involved in the assassination of the President. I can't even remember all of the accusations that he made during that period of time." - Stephen Fagin, Curator
T25 Report of Psychiatric Examination of Jack Ruby by Dr. Louis Jolyon West
Report of Psychiatric Examination of Jack Ruby by Louis Jolyon West, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine in Oklahoma City, dated Sunday, April 26, 1964. The report discusses Dr. West's psychiatric examination of Ruby, conducted the day after Ruby attempted suicide by banging his head on the walls of his jail cell. Dr. West describes Ruby's delusions that outside his jail cell is a widespread massacre of the Jewish people, caused by the fact that the nation now blames Ruby for the Kennedy assassination. Ruby distrusts the doctor since he denies that these massacres are happening. Dr. West concludes with a diagnosis of acute psychosis, a paranoid state, and suicidal tendencies. He recommends that Ruby be transferred to a mental facility for proper assessment and treatment. The report is signed by Dr. West and David Candish, Notary Public.The report is typed and five pages long.
T25 Report of Psychiatric Examination of Jack Ruby by Dr. Louis Jolyon West
04/26/1964
Psychiatry
Jack Ruby trial
X-Ray
Suicide
Mental health
Hearing
Oswald, Lee Harvey
Decker, Bill
Ruby, Jack
West, Louis Jolyon
Candish, David
Dallas County Jail
Dallas County District Attorney's Office
State of Texas
Dallas
Paper
13 × 8 1/2 in. (33 × 21.6 cm)
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
2002.034.0002
In a Museum oral history recorded less than two months before his death, defense attorney Phil Burleson discussed Jack Ruby's delusions, which included his belief in the widespread murder of Jewish people: "[Jack Ruby] became erratic. It was worse after the sentence, during the course of the appeal. He was of the opinion the Jews were being killed by the thousands.... I would go see him--again, this is after the verdict--and he said, 'I saw them kill Earl last night.' And I said, 'No, they didn't kill Earl.' \'"Yeah, I saw them kill him.' And I'd get on the telephone and get Earl on the telephone, and he'd talk to Earl and they'd talk about things that only he and Earl would know about. He'd hang up and say, 'That wasn't Earl...'At that point, he was totally out of it. I mean, this is after many, many, many months of him seeing Earl being killed and [sister] Eva being killed and hundreds of Jews being killed, and that [Lyndon] Johnson was involved in the assassination of the President. I can't even remember all of the accusations that he made during that period of time." - Stephen Fagin, Curator
Related objects
T28 Jack Ruby vs. the State: Appeal to the Criminal Court of Appeals of Texas
09/01/1964
T26 Associated Press wire copy story about Jack Ruby's attempted suicide
04/26/1964
T29 Photocopy of a two-page letter to Judge Joe B. Brown from Melvin Belli
11/27/1964
Autopsy report for Lee Harvey Oswald by the Dallas County Medical Examiner
11/24/1963
