New-York tribune., 1918-01-06

his eyes closed, mis- head and limbs shook
and he suffered severe headache.
"D1sTuRBANcEs of memory and lapses
- of consciousness were not uncom-
mon following exhaustion and fright One
soldier, who at the beginning of u lombard
mcnt lost himself ran from his machine
gun up and down the trench until sharp
order from his officer brought him to HIM
self; another stated shat at Loos he was car
ried along in charge, but knew nothing or
it; another. at the beginning of a bonn
bardment, dashed from his trench over sin
traverses, and was brought to himself by
falling and humping his head; and, lastly,
one soldier, on regaining consciousness after
ehell explosion found himself walking
along q lane. man, operated on for re-
moval of shrapnel from the knee, on recov-
ering from the anesthetic thought himself
back in the trenches, talked cxcitedly of the
Germans and guns. moved his cupboard
about, thinking it machine gun, and pointed
II at MS imaginary enemies. This state lasted
three days, when, after a sleep of twelve
hours induced by hypnotics. he awakened ra-
tlonal. Another individual, suffering from
extreme nervousness following scalp wound,
was lying out-of-doors at the base hospital
when storm came up; at the first peal Of
thunder he dashed to the nearest tree, where
he crouched, trembling. Shortly afterward
he regained himself and returned to the ward.
"In the train of the neurotic manifesto
tions one difficult to combat was insomnia.
Many were annoyed by the pounding of the
heart sounds in their ears, but the majority i;
simply could not get to sleep However, as
most Of the subjects were Young the In
somnia was overshadowed by the occurrence
of the horrible trench dreams, night frights
and somnambulistic periods suffered by many
of these chaps. One became quite accus-
toned to seeing patients duck beneath their
pillows. rise from their beds weeping and
trembling, shouting loudly, and at times,
as in the case mentioned, rccounting some
horrible experience. The night starts were
particularly annoying, many would awaken
with terror bathed in perspiration, but re-
calling dreams. Others dreamed of being
pursued by Germans with fixed bayonets, of
being called to attention or into action and
unable to find their clothing or their weapons,
of a suffocating feeling across the chest, or
losing the trench in the fog and of being url-
able to get back.
"The element of fear anxiety was rela-
lively uncommon, considering the wealth Of
fear reproducing stimuli, but in the markedly
homeopathic individuals one encountered a
feeling of incompetence, fear Of doing some
thing wrong, and consequently being shot; a
premontion of impending danger, a fear
that something might arise in which he would
fail or of going to sleep lest he should not
awaken. Again, after Il mine explosion or
q heavy bombardment. the dread of return
ing to the trenches and fear of being hit was
overweighed and conquered by the fear of
loss Of confidence ridcule of their COM
rades; but, nevertheless, at the sound of the
first shell they would frequently lose control
of themselves and, seized by an impulse of
self preservation, would run and crouch,
trembling, in the dirt. One chap, denying any
fear of being hit, under heavy shelling was
uoI Io1>l
to get out of the din, and on sentry duty had
the sensation of some one being about, and
would frequently challenge or be seized with
an impulse to run. Occurring in these con-
dtions were hosts of hysterical and neuras-
thenic manifestations, which time will not
permit me to do more than mention, such as
! loss of consciousness, functional nervous
spells, severe headaches, abnormal sensa-
tions over the body loss Of the motor power
of one-half of the body of or both
| limbs, diminution or loss of the sight or
hearing, loss or impairment of the power of
speech, abnormal sweating, pains in the
stomach and about the heart, palpitation and
vomiting spells
Ss'T~ HIS outline is offered merely as
4 brief suggestion of the comprehen-
sive possibilities and the necessity for
trained neurologlsts and psychlatrists in the
present great Depressing as are these
manifold conditions, it is with intense pleas
ure that the usually fortunate out
come of proper care in the disappearance and
the reestabishment of mental equilibrium
Under proper treatment, early instituted (and
the first really opportune place is the base
hospita), these cases make excellent, though
sometimes slow, progress. Nothing is more
difficult to overcome than we'll established
neurosis.'