The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1917-07-16
TO TREAT MENTAL
WRECKS AS WELL
Mind as Well as Body Must
Pass Rigid Test for U.
S. Service

From The New York Times: Men
mentally unfit to serve as soldiers
will be weeded out Of the coming
selectiYe draft by a corps OF phy-
sicians specially trained in the de-
lection and treatment of all forms or
nervous instability. This innova-
tion will mark the beginning OF
double standard of fitness for mill
tary service in this country-the
mental as well as the physical. The
fact that a physical standard was
an inadequate test for the strains
of modern warfare was first brought
forcibly to, the attention of medical
men during the Russo Japanese war.
in the Boxer rebellion the rate Of
insane among the German soldiers
rose to so in 1000. This was double
the rate in the Spanish American
war and so times that in civil pop
ulations. To cope with the increase
in the Russo Japanese war, the first
psychopathic unit for the treatment
of mental diseases among soldiers
was organized.
In the present war the need of the
new standard has been doubly en-
phasized. One of the serious prob
lens of the battle front has been
the treatment of soldiers suffering
from nervous or mental trouble
ranging through varied manifesto
tions, from simple loss of self-con
troll to complete arrangement. Neu-
ropsychopathic units have become
an important part Of the base hos
pitals. The problems confronting
these units have been made more
burdensome and difficult by the fact
that many were allowed to enlist
who were mentally unfit to meet
either the discipline of the army or
the test of the firing line.
Their letting down at critical
time not only endangered the morale
Of the companies to which they be-
longer, but reduced the companies
in numerical strength, as the victims
had to be withdrawn to the hospitals,
and resulted in many cases in de-
stroying the future usefulness of
those who, If they had been permit
ted to remain in civil life, could have
done their share of war work for the
country in some industry providing
necessaries for the men at the front
To Make Tests in France.
AS far as possible those mentally
unequal to the strain of war will be
kept out of the forces sent by the
United States to Europe. In order
to sift out at the start the men who,
to trained medical eyes, are plainly
unfit, a neuropsychopathic unit OF
30 beds each will be attached to each
base hospital in the training camps,
Well marked types can be quickly
singled out, but in other cases symp-
toms will not appear until the heav-
ier strain of approach to the battle
front is felt. It. is the plan, there,
fore, to continue the sitting process
I1n6nTs fhn erTIi6o ~ these nXnaFfe 81
in France, and also to supply the
promptest attention to the men who
become affected on the battle line it,
self. Each base hospital sent abroad
with our forces will be equipped
with a neuropsychopathic unit. Four
of these units will leave for France
in short time; seven are ready to
be assigned to their posts, and 9TH
ers are being organized.
The national committee for mental
hygiene is in charge of the work.
DR.. Thomas w. Salmon, the medical
director of the commirree, is now in
Europe studying conditions. so that
the psychiatric organizations here
may have the advantage of the lat
est experience Of the units at the
war front. A letter from Doctor Sal
mon, just received at the headquar-
ters of the committee in this city,
says:
'I am convinced that we are pro-
viding far too few beds for actual
war conditions. This is entirely true
of base hospitals generally, but it is
especially true of the accommoda-
tions for mental and nervous cases.
A British army division consists of
10000 men and has a base hospital
Of 1000 beds. which can be expanded
to twice that number. This ratio is
considerably larger than that pro-