Evening star., 1927-05-21

nalingerers or scared soldiers, to
evade service, have sometimes Feigned
shell shock" on the verge of going
"over the top" they are comparative
ly few. The American Expeditionary
Forces were not made up of scared
men. After the drafting had gotten
organized, the medical men made a
systematic examination of all soldiers
taken in the draft. and weeded out
the psychopathic weaklings. An en-
pert Canadian officer estimated that
by that process our Army avoided
10000 cases of potential shell-shock
victims
Nevertheless, the great and very
grave problem now confronting the
Veterans Bureau, nine years after
the end of the war. is the increase of
neuropsychiatry, Le.. mentally un-
balanced patients. On May /, each
year. for the last four years, the
patients in all bureau hospitals were
as follows:
1924. 1925 1926. 1927;
All diseases. 23,O67 25,571 26.S26 26,063
e mental t1 diseases 9.614 Il. 800 13.Oes 1854
Percentage OF
airy airy to total 41ee 1850 1850 49,
A few days ago, Gen. Hines, director
of the bureau, addressing the Medical
Council, composed of the most eminent
specialists of America. said that from
analyses which have been made by
the bureau of the trend of hospitaliza-
tion 'the peak load of neuropSychi-
atric cases viii not be reached until
about 1947.' ...-.
1t matters nothing whether it is'
called shell shock" or deferred
shock" or merely SHOCK" the fact
is that today half the cases in the
bureau hospitals are mental, and the
proportion is growing. In addition.
more tAan half the general cases are
also mentally affected. Hence the
emphasis put upon treatment from
the angle of mental readjustment, and
the encouraging thing is that, by
scientific, systematic study, great
progress is noted in results. There
are no more straitjackets, manacles
nor padded cells, but there is intelli-
gent cooperation with the patients.
A "shell-shocked patient" manifests
an eXcitable and irritable tempera-
ment He is given to paroxysms OF
rage and violence. He cannot control
his nerves. The task of the doctor
and nurse is to aid him in regaining
Tic AOSi COHlIOi. re must De inter-
ested ins some occupation-no matter
what-which will take his mind off
his troubles, his worries and his sick
ness. What he produces may or NAV
not have a commercial value-at first
preferably not. But if it Soothes his
nerves-that is medicine" So he is
prescribed so many hours a day (no
more) of carpet wea wing or basketry
or some other simple work Results
at first are very rough; often he flies
into a rage and breaks the machine.
No matter, he gets another and a
smile or a gentle word of help. In a
year. or two years, he becomes quiet
and his work shows the Improvement,
but the sale value is not the point
it is his nerves, his mind.
X X x
In the exhibit room at Veterans
Bureau headquarters is a beautifully
carved picture frame. The maker,
for five years, was rated a hopeless
case with hallucinations and despond.
sncy-an incurable "dementia precox. %
He was illiterate and violent and
ugly" Three years ago. he began to
take notice Of the school lessons given
to other patients. His own schooling
was equal only to a third grade. He
became interested in study and he has
reCelVeu OIL hourS or school training,
1885 hours of a full commercial
course and 1886 hours of craftsman.
ship. He has volu. .tarily read "Tale
Of Two Cities" "Silas Warner and all
the volumes of Bryce's American
Commonwealth" He was rediagnosed
as manic Oppressive" He was dis.
charged from hospital in 1926, clear.
headed and able to support himself. In
treating his case. every study pre-.
scribed was with definite purpose to
hold out to disturbed, confused mind
something by which it could be opened
up and lifted out of apathy and de.
pressions, and into confidence in him
self renewed.
Social service" mo- longer consists
in unregulated joy dances and enter
tainment merely for amusement; the
entertainment is given, but with the
definite view of therapeutic effect only.
Trained social service" workers CO.
operate in getting life histories of the
patients, whether through skillfuI
questioning of the men or investigat
Ing outside. These give clues to their
mental states. which guide the doc
tor in his treatment. At last, Macbeth
may have his question answered.
"Canst thou not minister to a mind
diseased?"
tcopyright 1927 hs Paul " coElns.l