The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-12-18

From The Journal Of the American Medical Asso-
cation.
Among the medical officers OF the army
and OF the navy lately there has been
remarkable growth of interest in psychi-
airy In other countries. notably France
and Germany, the relation of insanity to
conditions Of military service has re-
ceived considerable attention, but thus
far the matter has been almost ignored
in the United States. The interest which
is now being shown Is due in part 10 the
influence of the clinical Instructions given
nv Dr. William A. White to the student
officers of the service schools at Wash
ington
The opportunities for obtaining pracu-
cal work in psychiatry, even at the best
medical schools. are meager and 1t is
not at all surprising that the adequate
presentation OF the subject under such
conditions as the Government Hospital
for the Insane affords should enlist the
attention and in many cases the enthu-
siasm. of the young officers and or the
older ones who are assigned from time to
time for courses of instruction in the
army and navy schools. One result of
the newly awakened interest is that al
ready valuable observations on insanity
in the military service are being pub
lished.
Dine 20 Conditions of Service.
Some observations of especial interest
are those OF Passed Assistant Surgeon
Heber Butts and Capt. Robert L. Rich
ards. Medical Corps. U. S. a. DR.. Butts
he
SIS officers and men who have been adj
mitted TO the Government Hospital for
the Insane at Washington from the ac-
tive list of the navy and Marine Corps
during the period from January l. 1888.
to June ], 1910. He comments on some of
the relations of race. rank. or rating,
types of mental disease, and etiologic
factors in this group of cases. Some of
the observations agree with the facts
/ ascertained by statistical studies of adj
| missions TO State hospitals for the in
sane, but there are some interesting vari-
atoms which must reflect the effects of
conditions of military service and which
must have great interest for military
medical officers.
In spite of a high prevalence of certain
infections among the enlisted men of the
navy, only 5ll per cent OF all ADMISSIONS
| to the hospital were for general paresis.
In the New York State hospitals for the
insane paretics form about 10 per cent OF
ali the male first admissions. 1t Is safe
10 conclude that by far the larger pro-
| portion OF cases OF paresis in sailors &C.
eur after they have served their enlist
ments and left the navy.
Large Proportion Of Dementia.
The large proportion of cases of de-
mentia praecox (39.52 per cent of all adj
missions in this group is largely ac-
counted for by the low ratio Of pareties
and by the youth of the men admitted,
the number Of cases OF involutional psy-
chooses. and of senile deterioration, which
form so large part of all admissions to
State hospitals, being for these reasons
much less.
BY far the most important phase of in
sanity in the military forces is, as DR.
Butts points out. its relation 10 recruit
ing. He shows that the expense to The
government which enlistment of an in
sane man occasions the detriment to th'
efficiency of the service involved by hi