Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-09-26
Government Asked to Help States
Discover Incomes of individuals
PACIFlSM A BRAIN DISEASE
So a London Physician Ciassifics the
CnpatriOtic Dclusions.

We have been very much struck by
the proposals recently made by
physician writing in the Morning Post,
for the treatment of the disease known
as pacifism. That it is a disease IT Is
impossible to doubt, for in all its char
acteristics it corresponds precisely ~
those other fixed IDEAS which are
familiar to the alienist.
From the point of view of science 1t
does not really matter whether maj.
believes himself to be teapot or that
in any dispute his own country must
necessarily be in the wrong. Both
| are mental diversions arising from
some obscure morNid process or injury
in the brain, and all that one can say
of them is that one delusion is less
harmful than the other to the rest of
| the world.
| The man who conceives that he has
been turned into a teapot rarely in
| conVeniences anyone but hmsel,
whereas the unfortunate being whose
deluson Is pacifism usually makes
himself a very great nuisance, ana
may occasionally even be public
danger. Therefore, tho we sympa-
thize with both, it is even more de-
sira BILE t. remove the second obsessiun
than the first. This cannot be done
by any ordinary means. The most
vigorous and prolonged exhibition oil
even that invaluable drug, bromide of
| potassium, In quite useless in these
painful cases, and ii need hardly be
said that the sufferers are entirely
! impervious to any sort of argument
persuasion or proof. Attempts in that
! direction merely make the teapot mali
more than ever determined TO assert
| his teapottiness and If ridicule Is APP
piled to the pacifist II only convinces
him that he Is a martyr who is being
prosecuted for conscience sake.
I Can't Deliver Themselves
Also by no effort can these poor
creatures deliver themselves. The
one has brooded for so long over tne
events which originally inspired him
with the teapot idea, and the otner
! over some mistake made by his coun-
try in the past, that neither will ever
| be able, without professional assist
ance, to escape from his delusion. 10
coarse, unthinking minds these deiu-
sions appear merely grotesque, ana
their victims fit objects of laughter.
But to the trained intelligence of the
alienist they appear no more ridicu-
lous than paralysis or any other grave
| symptom indicating a diseased condi-
ton of the brain.
1t is unfortunate>that tho drugs and
| persuasion are alike useless, medical
science is now not without resource in
dealing with, at any rate, the milder
forms of the complaint, and there is
some comfort in reflecting that 1t is
now admitted that even quite violent
pacifism may exist in a patient as the
result Of some quiescent lesion, and
that II does not always follow tina,
| morbid processes are still active in the
| sufferers brain.
Treatment by suggestion offers quite
q reasonable prospect of cure in many
Of these instances, and those who prac-
tice it assert that even in advanced
cases of pacifism the prognosis IL by
principle, is TO call the subconsciou:
mind to the aid of the medical attend
ant. and it is wonderful with what sue
cess this can be done. The patient j.
thrown into a hypnotic sleep. ant
while in that state is told that wher
he awakes he will find himself
normal patriot, with a quiet healthy
, desire to go and kill German.
Patience Is Necessary.
Naturally 1t must not be expected
that the disease will yield to the firs'
attempt 1t is probable that wher
he wakes from the first trance he will
only show some signs of mental con-
fusion, and will not display any more
encouraging symptom of returning
sanity than a. disinclinatlon 10 discuss
the delusion under which he still
suffers.
Even when complete recovery ap-
!, pears 70 have taken place. which Is
usually after the third or fourth hyp
notic sleep. there may be, and very
often is. o painful recurrence of the
!. complaint The patient remains nor
NAL for perhaps week or even more
and during that period he will make
speeches OF an entirely reasonable
character. and mag even go so Tar as
to enlist Then the obsession returns
and it is necessary for treatment te
lbe resumed.