Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-30
SHELL SHOCK PATIENTS
HEALED BY SOLDIER
Yankees Mystic Feats Stir Paris
and Cause Physicisns
70 Wonder.

n NDciDf. really tudt ls, Ne fag nfvCf
boon inside of = rne l.cal schy0l Hr ia uyt a
commissioned Ufb0r either lwn da'a
after fhc var was declared 10 America,
hc enlisted ~ ono oi to- c'iIc nf tbn middle
west and r8nc over ag private fn Ia =
sergeant now lIts oxpcr'rure driyug
an ambubnce, first, aud after that iu 'hG
front liuo and hen in rariou- camp DO
France. il ha was cnf ~ ba., bo pliai
as % patient. would hli eovcr1i diarrs.
ho keep 5Uch things
But here are good u3uy ucu m
that b0sc hospital uho lego their return
ng br3i'h ~ hum. after they had beon m
bed ior weeks and evcn ru9p'hs .iow
although they ndfnit thas hr u well
agalu ihrY will not let him 70 from he
hospital bccouso tr'urfcr is long md
tedious business - bring about, ard they
need hun there 70 hcln o'It With tho
patient
~ was orlv sgt ri tc3 dav or -
himself shcn hr came r-o~8 two boys ~
one NJ tft ,.ards HhD bod bern IN fhe
pltal sinrr tprj One of theyn had
been IN ln'otprr with thr French Army
and tbc Other ,as q marine from hafeag
Jhicuy 1lty hed hoc -hell-shockad
and In ~ h3so month from April ~
~ep'rnbor thoy had grorrn rarrely any
better
Captain, Sargcmt Van MD cre
morning, 10 ~ou rard I -ce rlaf J ran
I'd .or hose men .hryc2 { t1ink ! may ~
ahie r. help 'boro ng' hf 4 you don
mind
The apam boxed a- bin i1tere-'r4ly.
y j 'd cr anv other man ae cantafr
would aart ncon indifferent .ornaDs.
i}n' ~erwupt AaH f1s 5th l'm
What 10 ~ou ~ do e1fh thetr''
he wanted - arotc
III gtet t.1r .o tsi- '0 t.p- 81 Il,
now and ben sergeant }an -a.d
lae oap' afn -bron ip b's hand.
hawrr1d' tn .-nd o.11l'- Tails
A. thc dcad'icS' medicine tnn IL NE
eerth
81 vas meaning Il, r The arrcant
said -tcaji
oDh, - ahead Van. 'be reptqm
agrend l)o qrvthing .ou blame Dleasr Ri
III ncv' morning on h'- .ounds, 0c
rartair TOPPED beside tho hrd of .e
first ~ tho feo neu ho had bern saoii-
flows !. coming tbts morning. 10y
fa oaked
f-f-fne lr ,as the answer. li''l-
nsfcadi7 ucrhape nuf tnc cspf.in lri
not uoiire nat llc -at down on 'le to}
and booked Ell fnc bow .n ar1azerneri
4 ho-a vrra THE first words ha had aDoler
aioiid -incs iFn Itv hc gtrne t5 t1e h0s-
Hiai unconscious. five months before
tf tnaf 1lrent Sergeant Nan hove
into -ghi from .ac diet kitchen ia had y
plate ui rnHk roa~t p his nand5a plate
ha' thc boy u bed followed with an
interested gaze
Beg uardon. -ir, sergeant Van said
-ahHng. hlt ! must a.I. vou - wait
ln'.l ny Ua:lcnt has had his breakfast be-
fore you talk with nim.
he 4st0nishrd captain allowed him-
self io be waved from TIDE bed - the near
rvF CHAR and watched ln amazennent the
lcv devour the toast His hands shool
~o from shcil--n0ck that lc could
-carcrv manage t uur lie was proDued
Ip and fed himself with every appear
ance of keen interest In his food. TIE dav
before the bow had not been 4bic ~
swallow anything 5ut liquid iDOd, and
he couldn have held the SPOON.
he captain bcrEoned Sergeant ! N ta
the end 0i the ward.
Did v0I DO that. The demanded
Fc-, Sir. admitted Sergeant n an.
low h the blue biazes-- began tine
captain and raused tor ack 81 words.
Ell show yDu il son like, SIR
III do like, ordered the captain.
30 Van showed ham The doctor cOuldn
pulc make il out lt that. Just what Van
aid lie 7Jroked iner heads 4 little, and
ma9.ageu their fhrnsts q Dit aud all th,.
time hc talked % them n ihe quletest.
most harmless sounding voice m he
world. But ten minutes after lie began,
the boss were asleep. naturally, without IL
rcEnor ID the bodies hat had been nerve
wrecked for week, he doctor looked 40
Sergeant \ an helDies>iy and left shaking
4, Eead
Two weeks iater Sergeant Van held 4
1l.nic before q ma! !oTSeneraI - the medical
corps lud several major and still Clocr
captains and lIeuteLant--al men il
reputation n America IS doctors. Two
81 his subjects were 1e two men over
thom he worked me ilrst morning. Z hev
came INTO the clinic. ,lear-cved andstra,E Eilt
and ruGGv rs athletes irum the field.
They passed tests hat the doctors lOuldu
nasS. themselves. One of them, support lug
nmsclf bv his shoulders and his ankle
aetWeen tRo tables held he weight ID
four sc the hus6lesJ 8f the doctors, -tanQ-
nix upoa hin Ano hcr subject Tv;,e .
hQ-e Negro, who had been brought to tbu
hospital the day before and whom Ser
geant Van had nesrr seen -Four hyp0-
deruics had no. been able - quiet hiu.
and they brought HIM in IN d -traitIackct.
Il took Van Jus, seven minutes 10 have
him asleep
Since then rhe -hcll-,aocA cases have
heen III Van bands The doctors shake
their heads and wonder Al Amcrical
professor, wcll-known Tor his psychological
research work, shakes ms head, TO, aud
has nothing 70 say
la ,he camp and he hospital, they c;l.l
hiu the hypnoust Perhaps he r..
Under thc uaa5gcmcnt uf the NouD9
Mons Christian Association, bc has given
( great many performances that set thc
mon into Glr- + laughter regular slap
~tick teats of me~mcric ability He laughs
vhel vou tr, ~ ret him 20 explain them.
7 "Oh. I ion know ne viii say But be
grow -eriou~ oNcr bis >hcll-shock cas- rs.
.It isa that ! h,puotize them, AZ al
hc viii tell YOU II Just ,all thcm that
I thev are bigger thar their nerves. and
thcy .tn control tucm they really want
to Aud Show hem ho~ They believe
because J tcll them it IS so, and then ycl
/ sce they arr well
But hC doctors co9tlnue 70 wonder sae
I III SAY hat Nam has discovered the hrst
reai5v successful treatment tor shell
( ,hcta.