South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-14
Shell Shock and Sanity
BY Woods Hutchinson, VI. d.

| bg MOOuS ftu
AS the charm of newness and the
glamor of dramatic appeal are fad
ing away from shell shock, much of
its mystery is clearing up.
1t is coming to be recognized as
chiefly the revelation of the meas
ure Of nervous unfitness and mental
unbalance admitted into an army.
In other words. the number of men
enlisted who never ought to have
been accepted at all!
This of course does not apply 10
what might be described as the
blown up and knocked down"
group, who are perfectly normal
men, temporarily dazed and dis
abled by a terrific bio on the
head. These usually recover fairly
promptly, except an unfortunate
minority who have suffered actual
brain hemorrhages or other inter-
nal injuries.
But the great body of lasting or
permanent shell shocks. who linger
on for months and even years, to
try the souls and defy the skill Of
both army doctors and specialists at
base hospitals, and who I'LL three
fOurths of the beds in the wards
and hospitals specially set apart for
shell shock, are of a totally differ
ent type.
In the first place most of them
are almost defective physically as
they are mentally-unders
under weight. narrow chested. shut
fe gated. slack-jawed, with badly
shaped heads, irregular features and
vacant or restless expression.
Take so or more of them togeth-
er and the impression Of what the
mental experts term constitutional
inferiority" is unmistakable, and
this is confirmed by hundreds Of
actual measurements, height,
weight, chest girth. muscular pow
er, taken in the larger special hos
pitfalls for their care.
In the second place, careful
tracing of the previous history both
of the patient and his family. car
ried out in over 1000 cases by such
eminent authorities as DR.. T. w.
Mott at the great Maudsley hos
pital. London, show clear proof of
previous attacks of mental disturb
ance and nervous instability in
either the shell shocked himself or
his near relatives and ancestors. in
two-thirds of all cases.
Furthermore, these lasting cases
Of shell shock show a marked up
and-dOwn" or circular" character.
just like ordinary insanity. a ten
dency TO periods OF improvement,
even reaching apparent recovery.
quickly followed by relapse, usually
to a little lower level than before.
Not a few of the patients at the
Naudsley hospital were there for
the second and even the third time.
having recovered and been sent to
the front in between. One poor
fellow, who was pluclIily anxious to
return, lasted just three weeks aft
er he again reached the trenches,
and another only three days! Which
makes rather expensive soljiersi
In fine, a large share OF shell
shock is merely ordinary insanity
occurring. in war time, and having
its decisions colored by the fears
Of the battlefield and given a mil
itary stamp.
Several very common forms of
sanity begin with what are called
"delusions OF persecution" The
patient is firmly convinced. OBJ
sessed. in fact. by the idea that Ger
tain persons or agencies, usually
unknown and referred TO as they"
or the same lot" are after him"
with the intention OF doing him
bodily injury. or are spreading all
sorts OF malicious lies and false re-
ports about him among his friends
or his fellows or with his employ
ers.
If he happens TO begin 70 break
down in the camp or at the front,
these impersonal unknown enemies
naturally become Germans or Ger
man spies. or even individual Ger
man guns, which he Will assure you.
with tears in his eyes. are specially
shooting al him. following him
about 70 different places. and have
only Just missed him several times
and next time viii surely get him. -
One poor boy. whom I saw. kept
repeatedly coming back 10 camp
and reporting most detailed and
circumstantia1 hair breadth es-