Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-21
GLANDS AND NERVES
Rv H. Addinpton Bruce

rN confirmation of the growing belief, to
| which I have previously called attention,
L. that disorders of the thyroid, pituitary,
and other ductless glands play significant
part in many cases of nervous and mental
disease comes a most suggestive article In
the Medical Record. The author OF this ar
ticle DR.. Edith r. Spaulding, writes from
wide experience with the nervous and mental
| ly disturbed.
And while she does not go to the extreme
of those specialists who see gland affections
| at the root of all psycho-neurotic ailments,
DR.. Spaulding insists that often it is necessary
| to take such ailments into account and to
| apply glandular as we'll as psychological
| treatment if cure is to be obtained. This
even when the initial cause of trouble is de-
monstrably psychic rather than glandular.
For psychic stresses-worries, fears, jeal-
ousies, etc.-as experimentally demonstrated
| by DR.. w. B. Cannon and other investigators,
have a profound effect on the workings of
the ductless glands. II long continued, such
| stresses may themselves produce glandular
weakness, with the result of intensifying the
nervous or mental condition originally caused
| by psychic stress alone.
| And on the other hand, as DR.. Spalding
sees it, when the initial cause is not psychic
but glandular, treatment of a psychological
character may be required as supplementary
to glandular treatment. Under the influence
of the gland disorders bad mental habits may
have become established which only psyche
| logical treatment can correct.
This clearly, is a most important point
Failure to act in accordance with it would
seem to offer an adequate explanation of the
often reported inability to effect cure in
nervous and mental cases complicated by
gland deficiencies. Whereas when the serv-
ices of both the medical psychologist and the
gland specialist are employed striklngly brill
liant results in similar cases may be antici-
pated.
uh oichf cite Of mr.
Spauldng's illustrative cases.
It is the case Of girl Of fourteen, of
marked nervous instability and most badly
behaved. Not only did she give way to wild
outbursts of rage, but she had on several
occasions set fires imperilling the lives of
other people. In addition she was subject
to attacks of severe intestinal trouble that
had necessitated taking her home from board
ing school.
Psychological analysis showed that these
attacks had, in part, at least, a hysterical
basis, and were not altogether unwelcome to
the nervous, wayWard girl. On the contrary,
they constituted device which she subcon-
sciously utilized to enable her to get away
from the school she hated and back to the
mothef she loved.
Discovery of this fact, however, did not
help matters much. While at home there
was little improvement in either her behavior
of the intestinal disturbances. Finally care
appearance, and her various symptoms led
to the suspicion that her gres. emotionality
might have caused glandular inactivity, more
particularly weakness of the pituitary gland.
elizabeth says DR.. Spaulding, "was then
given small doses of pituitary, with the re-
suit that for the first time in months her
digestion returned to a normal condition.
When this excuse was removed she was
helpeu to see how much was to be gained by
returning to school.
"She then made satisfactory adjustment
at school for the first time. The glandular
therapy is being continued with the same
good results"
1t is, of course, impossible to say in exactly
what proportion of psychoneurotic cases
glandular and psychological treatment should
be combined The important thing is to ap-
preciate that in some cases both kinds of
treatment may be needed, and especially to
reckon with possible gland trouble in cases
strongly resistive to psychological treatment
alone.
Copyright, 1922, by The Associated News
papers)