The Washington herald., 1917-10-21
GORCAS URGED
!. FOR NOBEL GIFT
Health Men Hear Army S
Plan to Combat Men
tai Diseases.


At Its colsipg session last night the
American Public Health Association
recommended that the noble prize be
at Panama.
Maj. Pearce Bailey, of the Medical
Corps discussed the preparations
made for dealing with mental disease
in the army. According to Maj.
Bailey three considerations made the
medical department Of the army, be-
fore the outbreak of the war, pre-
pare to take unusual precautions in
all matters pertaining to nervous and
mental disease.
The first of these considerations
was the history of past wars notably
that Of the late Russo-Japanese war,
In which statistics relating to ner-
vous and mental disease were first
accurately accumulated, and in which
the mental diseases resulting at the
siege of Port Arthur were cared for
by specialists and by special organi-
Iations.
There were more than 100 such
cases resulting from the siege At
Port Arthur.
The second consideration was the
reports OF the medical departments
of the aries Of the various countries
running through past years. These
reports show with very little varia-
tion that an army of 1000 men will
produce every year three insane
under the conditions Of peace; six
or seven insane under war condt-
tions of troops serving at home. and
an undetermined number OF insane
in troops serving outside OF their
own country.
1t is said that the German in
sanity in the Boxer campaign
reached so per 1000. which is the
highest rate ever recorded.
Gorsas' Foresight.
The third consideration. and the
most important Of all. was the les
sons of the present conflict. Neither
France or England had contem-
plated or provided for the enormous
numbers of nervous and mental dis
ease cases which began to impede
their armies Immediately after the
outbreak of war. They were obliged
in great haste to reconstruct their
medical organizations, to establish
or build centers for these cases and
to call into service special medical
men who in previous wars had sell
dom been called to the colors.
1t was with all these facts In
mind that Gen. Gorgas. before the.
outbreak of war, instituted plans
to cope with this type of disease
and drew upon. the services of
civilian psychiatrists and neurolo-
gists.
The purpose was the eliminating
of the unfit and all those who would
be likely to break down from ner-
vous causes under the strain OF
modern warfare. and to make pro-
vision for those who might break
down either in this country or in
Europe.
The psychiatrists and neurolo-
gists responded with patriotic
promptness and now there are over
two hundred of these specialists
commissioned in the Reserve Corps
and on active duty at the canton
ments.
The class Of diseases detected by
the special examinations includes
mental defects, epilepsy, psychopa-
thic personality. beginning or poten-
tial insanity and syphilis of the CEN
trail nervous system. From one and
one-half per cent to i've per cent OF
all troops examined have already
been discharged from the army on
certificate or disability for these
causes. In many instances the exam
nations have been made just prior
to departure for Europe.
By the establishment of special hos
pitals through all the cantonments. by
establishing special means of care of
the insane, all OF which Gen. Gorsas
has done, there has been created
standard of therapeutic care for such
cases which very few cities and States
in this country can duplicate
Officers Elected.
At its final meeting this afternoon,
the association elected the following
officers:
President. DR.. Charles ]. Hastings,
Toronto. Ontario; first vice president,
DR.. George N. Kober. Washington. u.
c.; second vice president. DR.. Manuel
S. Iglesias, Vera Cruz. Mexico; third
vice president, DR.. Guilford II. Sum-
ner, Des Moines. Iowa; treasurer. Lee
X. Frankel, Phi. D., New York CITY;
secretary. Mr.. A. W. Hedrich. Bos-
ton, Mass.
The place Of holding the next an
nual meeting was left to the execu-
tive committee.