Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-07-30
SOLDIERS SANITY
STANDS WAR DIN
Roar of Battle Fails to In
crease Madness Among
Fighters.

PARIS, July 7.--Thc war has not
drlvcU mad 50 many persons as was
expected in thc carly stages Statis-
ties thus far show that the first re-
po'ts Of men going crazy under the
internal fire OF modern actillcry were
exaggerated.
Hr G.. Dumas, who has treated all
cases OF mental trouble in one of the
French armies. says that his data,
covering the first ten months of 1915,
agree with the reports OF German
doctors concerning madness among
combatants.
He finds the cases of insanity
caused directly or indirectly by the
war in France are quite as few in
proportion as those in Germany. and
offers the figures is refutatior of
the theory of GerTan specialists that
the Tcutunic race Is showing greater
nervous resistance than the Latin
Doctor Dumas report covers 1I6S
cases OF deranecmcnt, of which only
BIZ per cent were cases OF general
paralysis. while in most asylums IN
time of peace the proportion is Is per
cent This he takes as conclusive
evidence that the :atiEues and com
motions OF war have no influence
upon the development OF this form
Of insanity
War Gives Color Ia Dchriun.
General paralytics however, when
they become deli'iodS, rave about the
war. the same as cases in which the
symptoms are quite different. and
Doctor Dumas concludes that the life
Of the conbatant often simply gives a
war color to delirium that would
have existed IN normal circumstances.
but in a different form.
Horror, inspired by battle scenes,
sometimes works directly on the ner-
vous system, developing symptoms
such as hysteria, spocchleSsness. deaf
ness loss Of the sense of feeling, fits
OF mental confusion or paralysis. not
always accompanied by hallucnations
or delirium.
Optimism of the most exaggerated
lype is the dominating note in the
hallucinatiOns of the paralytics, and
Doctor Dumas considers it a wonder
that officers do not in fits of exalta-
iiOn give absurd heroic orders that
lead to disasters.
In one case a lieutenant who de-
clarcd to the doctor that he had
cleaned out a German trench with
two machine guns that he had car
ried on lis back from a point several
miles in the rear" had remained in
command OF his section until As hours
before no was examined. A few days
later captain was brought to Doctor
Du mas, fresh from the command of
his company, suffering from an equal
~ radical fit OF exaggerated op-
timism".
Doctor Dun as reports II cases of
what he calls reasoning madness,
in which the fatigIcs and commo-
tions of war have had no influence.
but in which hatiucinations previous
" existing were applied to the war.
An artillcryman who before the wal
imagined that he was charged with
the defense OF the Eadica, and Social
ist members OF parliament against
what he considered the calumnies of
the Royalists and Nationalists of the
Right was brought to a hospital
suffering from tumor. He imme-
dately divided the nurses Of the hos
Iiital into two parties. the left ard the
right and would have nothing to do
with the latter. while he began to
fall in love with one after another of
the nurses Of the left
The mentally dcbiiitatcd are largely
represented IN the statistics. OF 185
cases, 10 were sent to the rear as
being permanently inapt for further
armed service. and SIS who represent
ed symptoms of delirium were in
termed Several of these. Doctor
Dumas says, owe their mental condi-
tion to fatigues and comm otions OF
war and all OF them derive the themes
Of their delir.um from their expert
ences at the front There are among