Evening journal., 1916-08-02
WAR DRIVES FEW
FRENCHNEN MAD
DR.. Dumas Finds Gallo Ner-
vous Resistance as Strong
as Teutonic
REVIEWS MADE
IN 1883 CASES

expected in the early stages. Stats
ties thus far show that the first re-
ports Of men going crazy under the
internal FIRE of modern artillery were
exaggerated.
Or G. Dumas. who has treated all
the 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 doc
tors concerning madness among com
batants. He finds the cases Of insaa-
ity caused directly or indirectly by
the war in France are quite as few
IN proportion as those in Germany
and offers the figures as a refutatiol
Of the theory Of German specialists 4
that the Teutonic race is showing /
greater nervous resistance than the
Latin.
DR. Dumas report covers 11Ss
cases of arrangement, Of which only |
IL per cent. were cases of general I
paralysis while in most asylums in
lime of peace the proportion is Is per
cent This he takes as exclusive evil |
denco that the fatigues and commo-
tons Of war have no influence upon
The development Of this form Of in
vanity
General paralytics however, when
hey become delirious. rave about the
Uar. the same as eases in which the
IS iptoms are quite different, and Dr.
Dumas concludes that the life Of the
combatant often simply gives war
color to dcliriam that would have ex-
lsted under normal circumstances but
IN a different form Horror inspired
BY battle scenes sometimes works d.
rectly on the nervous system de-
veloping symptoms such as hysteria,
speechlessness. deafness, loss Of the
sense Of feeling. fits Of mental cOnfu-
sion or paralysis. not alwa, acccm
panied by Authorizations OF delii.
lum
Optimism Of .he most exaggerated
type is the dominating nofe 'D the
Authorizations of the paralytics. ard
Or Dumas considers IL a wonder
bat officers do not in fits of exalta-
ion give absurd her'oc orders that
cad 10 disasters.
IN one case a lieutenant who de-
clared 70 the doctor that he had
cleaned out 4 German trench with
two machine guns that he had carried
on his hack from a point several
miles in the rear" had remained in
command of his section until forty
eight hours before he was examined
few days later a captain was
brought TO Or Dumas. fresh from the
command Of his company suffering
from an equally radical at Of "exag-
gerated optimism
Dr. Dumas reports seventeen cases
If what he calls reasoning madness
IN which the fatigues and connections
~ war have had no influence. but in
which hallucinations previously ex-
listing were applied to the war. An
artilleryman who before the wal
imagined that he was charged with
the defence Of the Radical ad So
cialist members of Parliament against
what he considered the calumnies OF
the Royalists and Nationalists Of the
Right was brought toa hospital suf
fering from a tumor He immediately
divided the nurses of the hospital in.
10 two parties, the Left and the
Right, and would have nothing 10 d.
with the latter, while he began to fal
in love with ono after another OF The
nurses Of the Left
The mentally dobilitated are large
y represented in the statistics. o
1856 cases 10 were sent 10 the rea
as being permanently inept for furth
er armed service and So who pre-
scented symptoms of delirium were in
termed Several Of these DR.. Duma
orrra fbofr- r,o,fo1 rondfffo, .,
fatlgues and connections Of war, AM
all Of them derive the themes o
their delirium from their experience
at the front. There are among then
Messiahs come to announce the fina
victory, messengers designated b
Joan of Arc TO show the way to sue
cess spiritualists who have acquire
occult knowledge of the plans Of III
enemy.
Alcoholics were numerous in tn
first months Of the war among III
deranged soldiers. but have sine
been remarkably few In Angus
1914 131 cases were brought to Va
de Grace, Of which 81 were sufferin
from alcoholism: in another hospits
there were 2S out Of g. OF these 6
cases IS had delirium tremens. and /
of them died They were all cor
filmed drinkers who had exaggerate
their propensit'es during the excii
ing days OF the mobilization
The number diminished rapidly al
ter the first month. not only a singl
case of alcoholism being repnrte
since September from one Of the mos
fortified places and only 1872 deve'
oping in IN entire army during tn
first ten months of last year All {
the l62 were reservists. and in S
far as their history could be learne'
we're old drinkers. Nearly all {
them resumed service after tallin
the milk cure. The tendency of tn
alcoholics was to dream of the bal
tie and 10 see Germans everywher
One of them took a detachment OF h
company for the enemy and charge
them with fixed bayonets.
The proportion OF cases Of menti
depression among the 1,1SS was largl
There were 224 in ten months-mos
" officers with besetting notions
professional shortcomings and diff
culties. The majority Of these me
realized it fully. though unable
overcome it.
Il am no longer able 70 give an o
der without Immediately cancellir
H." said one officer Il cannot he
weighing TO an exaggerated exteT
.e~f,