Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-15

/ a furlouEh with ms mother tl.IS
week-Mr. and Mrs. Morris r. Cox
have returned from visit to Phila.
| delphia.--I. F. Heppler has returned
! from Pittsburgh.
, given by f. r. Bach, secretary OF the
| state Bureau of Americanization. He
| sketched the achievements of his bu-
reau and presented an Americaniza-
| tion program for next year.
Appeals For Detectives
| DR. j. NJ. Murdoch, superintendent
Of the State Institution for Feeble
Minded of Western Pennsylvania, at
Polk, appealed for adequate care for
! the mental detectives of the state in
| the opening address of the mental
hygiene session. He gave what he
termed -four most excellent reasons
why the state should provide ade-
quate care for mental detectives"
These are:
"First-they are the most helpless
of all unfortunates, and are not per-
sonally responsible for their con-
dition. They cannot care for them
selves and must be cared for by 9TH
erS:
"Second--If not properly cared for
and safeguarded, they are menace
to the community through their ir-
responsible acts, causing obstruction
of property and endangering the
lives of their fellowmen. The money
value of the property annually de-
stroyed by this class would more
than adequately provide for all
mental detectives.
rThird Because of inadequate
proper provision for this class, res
cue homes. county homes, jails re-
! formatories and hospitals for the in
sane.
Fourth Since heredity is the
| principal cause of the detectives. they
should have institutional care to
bring about a reduction in their num-
bers, through the prevention of the
propagating of their defects.
There are estimated to be about
fifteen thousand mental detectives in
the state, including four thousand in
appropriate institutions thrae thous-
and in other institutions, FIVE thous-
and receiving care in their own
homes, three thousand at large, a
, menace to the community. The
feeble minded are increasing more
rapidly than the population. 1t is
our right and duty to see that there
are not so many feeble minded babies
born.
Every feeble minded person of the
reproductive age should be so care
fully guarded that reproduction
would be impossible.
A large proportion. not only of
children, but of adult men and wo-
men, convicted of crime are feeble
minded. The feeble minded individ-
~ 10 io1
ally drifts into criminality. On ac-
count of their weak will power and
lack of judgment they are prone to
become drunkards, thieves and pros
titutes. There is not an almshouse
| which has not a number of these
feebleminded women with their
illegitimate children.
Prepare For War Wrecks
Prepare for the shellshocked and
mentally deranged soldier. DR.. Jessie
Taft, director of the Child Helping
Department. the seybert Institute,
Philadelphia, urged. What should
the community do to protect the men
| tai health of its people?" she queried
| In her answer to the question she
| said:
, The communities are prepared to
organize for the after care of the
| soldiers who come home manned or
! ill. There will be hospitals and dis
pensaries and out-patient depart
ments and home service ready to as
sist at moments notice any, soldier
sunering from a physical condition
| what are the communities preparing
: TO do for the man who comes back
broken not in body but in mind?
Have we no treatment for him short
OF commitment to a hospital for the
insane? Many times he will not need
hospital care. He will have been dis
| charged from the military hospital as
cured. But he Vall need from time 10
time advice and help from a physician
who understands what the war has
done to him-from the psychiatrist.
The ordinary soldier, like the ordin-
ary citizen cannot afford the con-
sultation fee Of the psychiatrist in
private practice. For any other i'll
ness, he can get help at reasonable
rates. But If his mind should be the
seat of the ailment, he must either
be insane or wealthy to get atten-
| ton"
Phillips Talks
In discussing DIR. Tafts paper. DR.
/ c. r. Phillips, health officer of Dau-
phin county, emphasized the value of
community clinics for mental and
nervous hygiene. Such a clinic he
| said. was established in Harrisburg
IN November last. Since then thirty
clients or patients of all ages and
| conditions have visited the clinic and
| treatment. OF these thirty there were
| received the benefits of advice and
hve who were given medical and
psychological treatment and advice
! without the necessity of institutional
care. Five were advised to seek IN
stitutional care. OF these. three were
! in need of care in Institutions for
mental cases and two were advised
to seek institutional care for physIcaI
reasons.
DR.. Downes Appeals
superintendent +. L. Downes, of the
Harrisburg Public Schools. discussed
the value to the schools of the state
of the proposed amendment of Article
1913 OF the School Code. This amend
ment VIII provide automatically for
the reporting and examining OF All
retarded or otherwise exceptional pu-
pills and win provide state subsidies
Tor school districts providing special
education for children,
Careful scientific studies of school
children prove that at least f1ve per
cent OF the school population cannot