The dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1919-2001, 1922-04-26
MENTAL HYGIENE
(By DR.. Frank c'Brien of the Louis
Vile Mental Survey.


vile Mental Survey.
Shall the State of South Carolina
continue to spend thousands of dol
lars for the eare of-punishing and
trying to cure individuals at a time
when little or nothing can be done for
them; and almost totally neglecting to
damn the stream at it's source by in
stituting preventive methods at
period, when in a great measure, pre-
vention is possible? Shall she con-
tinue to lavish all her available money
in the caring for the results of con-
ditions that could have been prevented
and continue to do almost nothing to
remove the causes?
This is question that the people of
South Carolina through their repre-
sentatives must answer for themselves
at the coming Assembly.
A Mental Hygiene Survey Of this
State conducted by the National
Committee for Mental Hygiene, at the
request Of Gov. Cooper, in which were
examined all the inmates of all the
state penal and correctional institu-
tions, all the inmates of many of the
county jails and almshouses and the
inmates of orphanages and about
1000 school children. has just been
completed. This thorough study, es-
pecially of dependency and delinquent
CIV, reveals that the causes Of socia!
mal-adjustment are many, both ply
sical and mental, but that the great
est single, causative factor is feeble
mindedness. It is also evident that
the State yearly spends many thous
ands of dollars on the results of feeble
mindedness in her dependent and de-
linquent institutions and she provides
practically nothing for feebleminded
ness itself. She is spending all this
money i'm a very uneconomical and in
humane way by attempting to treat
these unfortunates when most Of them
have long since passed the stage where
that type of Institutional treatment
will be of any value. This method
is especially uneconomical because it
absolutely offers no relief from the
situation itself. !
Feeblemindedness is condition of
abnormal brain development due tc
which the individual is incapable Of
properly adjusting himself to the Or
binary conditions of life. AS We have.
physical Observation-Disclosures who
have not, nor. never can have the
stature Of the average individual we
likewise have mental dwarfs, indi-
viduals who have not, nor never can
have, the mentality of the average in
dividual. These mental dwarfs are
the feebleminded.
In about ct per cent Of the cases
the causes OF feeblemindedness is
heredity-a condition handed on from
parent to child. In as much >as
feeblemindedness is due to a lack of
proper brain development, there is ab-
soIute1y no cure. When we consider
that about two thirds of the cases are
inherited and that there is no cure of
this condition, and because of the con-
dition most Of the individuals so af-
flicted cannot properly take care of
themselves in society, is it any reason
why they form such large proper
tion Of that great army of social dere-
licts?
Although there is no cure, for this
condition, the one hopeful solution Of !
the problem lies in the fact that they !
can be trained but they must be recog- !
nized early, and then taught by the !
methods peculiarly adapted to their !;
abnormal brain development. These,
methods are totally different from