Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1915-02-11
CAOSIS
slMINC MANY
yaorrOrS OF Battlefield Cause OF
New insanity.
GENERALLY QUICKLY CURED.

Victims Mostly Prey of Weak consti-
tutions, Which Make Them Unable
Under Certain Acute Conditions to
Control Their Feelings-Unnerved by
Mountains of Corpses."
Crossing the Carlsplaza. one OF the
most picturesque squares in Vienna.
heard plaintive screams behind me. 1
turned and saw short distance away
one OF those war ambulances with tn,
Geneva cross. which have been famii
lar sights here for months, says Dr
Wolf Won Schlerbrand. writing from
Vienna for the New York Sun.
But this was a strange case. The
cries came from sturdy man in pike
gray field uniform. who had forced his
body almost through the narrow win
dow of the vehicle. His head was
bandaged He and his fellows in the
ambulance had evidently just arrived
at the northern station from the front
in Poland and were being taken to
one of the many reserve hospitals.
Meanwhile the driver and his assist
ant had entered the ambulance and
had pulled the wounded soldier back
and Gained him for moment.
War psychosis. said man next
70 me on the sidewalk.
War pSychosis?" asked
Yes. replied my neighbor That's
the technical term for il. It's form
OF dementia for which the war is re-
sponsible. or. rather. To be more exact.
the sights aud experiences of the bat
tleheld II is 10y no means an uncom-
mon thing. II you are interested 60
OUT 10 Steinhot and you'll learn all
ahont IT,
VISIT to Insane Asylum.
Yesterday 1 made an excursion to
Steinhof and did learn all about il.
Stciuhuf i the model insane asylum
erected 10y this city and the province
OF Lower Austria ut Il cost OF about
S1.knOlW. Every American physician
visiting Jenna is sure 10 inspect it,
one of the assistant physicians. Or,
Wadmeyer. was made my guide.
In most cases the ailInent terui-
mates ~ quickly as II began. said my
informant. AS general thing this
menta disease is due To- sottness OF
disposition and to IA feeble will unable
10 throw off the horrible impressions of
the battlefield OF today. The patient
may be in robust health. very strong
physically, and all that
One OF them told me he could not
sleep because his mind was constantly
dwelling on mountains OF corpseS' II
seems his regiment. after taking one of
the Russian trenches. had TO literally
walk over the torn. bleeding aud dis
figured bodies Tying there.
This man was woOdcutter used
to hard work. He was in perfect phys
ical condition and naturally rather
rough and uncouth But the scenes in
that battle and the storming OF those
trenches completely unnerved him.
made him hysterical and unbalanced
his mind for the time. I'm other cases
there is a bias toward paralysis or hal
lucinations; but. as | said. in most in
stances the trouble is cured quickly.
and the man returns TO the front ap-
parently as good as before.
While in this demented condition.
however. ii is best TO send him homo
for rest cure. so to speak. AS a rule.
the moment be arrives here there is
Improvement"
a Tyrolese from he Eisack valley.
twenty-eight. Of more than medium
build. had served IN IA regiment of the
Kaiserjaeger and later had been put
ia field battery. He was a good shot.
like most men of the Tyro. had pluck
CROUCH and became corporal. He
married. took a small farm on the
mountain side on annual payments and
saved money.
UnnerVed by Battle Sights.
When the war broke out Mazi an
swered the call The field post was
slow and irregular aud left him with
out news from home. His battery took
part In number Of battles with the
Russians at Krasnik. Komaroff and
Lemberg. with Dankl and Won Hin
denburg near Warsaw and lastly at
LODI. He became moody and melan.
choy when he saw all this never end.
ing slaughter One OF his comrades
was Tony. with whom as a boy he had
gone bird nesting and who was bis
best friend
Mazi's battery had been 10 constant
action since early morning. Tony was
just bringing new ammunition when
shell burst in the midst OF the battery.
tore of the captains head and killed
or wounded nearly every one of the
men. Tony was one OF the victims.
For an instant Mazi was dazed He.
90. was seriously wounded. Then the
horror of II all flashed over bis simple.
ilain mind He ran shrieking out of
he emplacement right toward the Ell
my. but was stopped ON the way and
was sent home ON an ambulance train.
travelling for days. his wound being
looked after just once. until he finally