Evening star., 1925-03-13
CRIME PREVENTION
I METHODS SCORED
Psychiatrist Tells Doctors
Breaking of Spirit in
Prison Is Wrong.

Taking issue with the modern
method OF crime prevention by means
of rigid punishment of the criminal
and the breaking down" of the spirit
of men by the restrictions laid down
in prisons, DIR. Harry J. Crawford, a
member of the staff of psychiatrists
at Gallinger Municipal Hospital, told
a group of visiting physicians at the
hospital today that the problem OF
crime prevention should be attacked
through the Juvenile courts. This
method falling, the proper method
of approach to crime prevention is
through psychiatric work on the
criminal himself in prison. Dr.
Crawford's talk was part of a cynical
session held in connection with the
meetings of the American Congress
on Internal Medicine. Clinics were
held at all the hospitals during the
day. with discussion of many medical
subjects ranging in scope from
psychiatric treatment of the criminal
to surgery.
DIR. Crawford said the human race
still has the old conception of the scape-
goat method OF punishment, believing
that by incarcerating the guilty person
in prison the sins of the race will be
purged 'Tn Furnishing the criminal,
DR.. Crawford said, man is not trying
to get rid of sin in the abstract, he is
trying to get rid of that sin which ne
feels is resident in himself The Grim
inal becomes a handy object upon which
he can transfer his sins by punishment,
and he deludes himself into feeling of
righteous indignation.
Procedure Declared Costly.
THE breaking of men by punish
ment is a very costly procedure. The
history of punishment shows that the
severity of punishment on the whole
has had little influence on crime pre-
Ventton. 1t does society no good be-
cause it insures the continual failure
of the criminal after his discharge
from prison, with all that means.
"On the whole, however, the treat
ment of the insane in counties has
been far better in recent years than
in the past" he said. Removal of
hospitals from politics, control of the
hospital in the hands of physician,
training schools for nurses, placing
of physicians under civil service and
promotion on the merit system are
some of the causes for better treat
ment of the insane.
DR.. Crawford declared there can be
no arbitrary classification of the
criminal as such. "A criminal" he
said rs one who has been pronounced
by due process of law guilty of an
offense which the law deems to be a
crime.
We know nothing of a criminal
as so classified, We only know Of
society's attitude toward them.
Causes May Vary.
"A man may perform a theft under
the influence of the prodormal stage
of paresis, another may start under
the excitement of a hypomanic at
tack, another as a result of moral
delinquency, another under the in
fiuence of alcoholic intoxication.
Nothing in common could be expected
from such a group because the out
ward act was the same.
Then the next step we see. some
philanthropically inclined person is
measuring UP by physical and mental
standards the members of the group,
and as a result we are told the char
acteristics of the thief in the alb
stract, as if there were any such
thing. Both criminals and insane are
socially inadequate"
DR.. ]. A. Cannon, chief of staff of
the Gallinger Hospital, conducted a
group of visitors through the wards
of the big municipal hospital, point
ing out interesting cases and unfold
ing the development of municipal hos
he said, has on its staff 65 physicians
and surgeons of the very highest
standing in Washington, most of
whom are available on call and with
out pay, day or night, to conduct the
free work of the hospital.
Some of the most interesting sur
gical work which a surgeon can un-
dertake comes in the free hospitals,
DIR. Cannon said, benefiting the COM
munity and at the same time adding
to the store of medical knowledge by
practical treatment.
DIR. Cannon pointed out several in
teresting cases in the hospital, par
ticularly one in which the heart ac-
tion of a patient was not strong
enough to pump blood to the skin. AS
a result gangrene has set in, a condi
tion which cannot be stopped, and the
patient is doomed to die. Another
case had a combination of enlarged
thyroid gland and acute diabetes.
District Residents Honored.
Research into diabetes was contin-
ued from the intensive study at clini-
cal sessions yesterday by a lecture
by Drs. w. J. Mallory and F. G..
Speidel today at George Washington
University Hospital.
DR.. John Ladd of Washington told
the congress yesterday that the pub
lie should ascertain the facts regard
ing the practice of various cults out
side the medical profession, declaring
that such practitioners are reaping
rich harvests by claiming miraculous
nature cures in certain diseases
Nineteen residents of Washington
we're given fellowships in the Ameri-
can College of Physicians at a dinner
at the Mayf1ower Hotel last night
They included Secretary of the In
terror Work. Rear Admiral E r.
Stitt, Surgeon General Hugh S. Cum
ming and Surgeon General Merritt
W. Ireland.