The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-07-06
BASEBALL CURE FOR INSANE
Treatment Is Not Altogether New
Expert Says II ouickens Sluggish
Brains and Wits.

Baseball dope. the batting averages,
league standings. vital statistics and
the rest of the as sorted, first-aid-t0-
thecurious information. is nov being
put to practical use in curing back.
ward minds and incorrig bic students
in the Newton Technical high school,
Boston
However. the use Of baseball for the
treatment of ailing minds is not alto
gether new. for Or w O. Krohn, for.
mer professor of psychology at the
University of Illinois. and h, ad ply.
sician at the Kankakee asylum. as.
serts that baseball was used most ben.
eficially while he was at the state In.
stitution and he had as an assistant
Frank Pfener. who pitched for the
Cubs last year and this year IL with
the Boston Nationals
DR.. Krohn is firm believer In the
use of baseball as a treatment for the
insane, but says that II is especially
valuable In quickening dull wits and
speeding the sluggish brain into ac-
tivity
You might say without departing
I. ON the literal truth that baseball
makes the insane sane and the sane
insane" said the doctor. AT least
the sane often give manifestations Of
violent insanity while the insane seem
rational while under the influence OF
baseball -
The new curative baseball scheme
became effective when 1t was found
that baseball was something which, II
properly applied, instilled new In.
terest into the fading intellects of the
telligence come on their faces Their
f.stless eyes frightened for moment.
apathy was dispelled, the halfopen
mouths closed-all at the mention Of
Hans Wagners batting average and
its comparison to Lajoie's cunning.
DR.. Krohn Is an all.around heavy.
weight expert In the psychological
lore, and talks interestingly OF his ex-
pelltHCe WIN tHc lHiudleS VI Nue otdto
institution.
I'm Kankakee there are men lu.
natics who sit from day TO day and
don't move a muscle or think
thought" said the doctor. They don't
live they merely endure like a piece
of furniture. Come up behind group
Of them and whisper to them. How
about a little game of ball and you'll
see change that is surprising
DR.. Krohn told Of the successful
teams that had been organized from
the material found in the asylum.
They'll take their positions in the
field when the game Is called man
who is in for believing himself to be
the missing link is pitcher Another
whose ailment results from imagining
himself complete Egyptian dynasty
is catcher The first baseman is the
same sad fool you will see at other
times, walking around with his head
thrown back He Is balancing his
nose for fear II might fall'off his face
if he didn't. And so with the rest of
them Crazier than quilt.
And the fans. They're still crazy,
only in a conventional way for the
time being.
The first ball is thrown It's bit.
The batter runs to first base. His
mind is as clear as looking glass.
THE whole thing is only case OF
making the person occupy himself
with something that is interesting to
him and baseball is one of the very
few things that can interest the In
sane.
with the same idea in mind, fac
ulties of schools for backward and in
corrigible students have stimulated the
feeble minded by making them employ
their time working at something they
liked, and the faculties learned that
there was nothing as generally popu-
lar as baseball dope"