Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-11

TN OUGH the word may have a
different meaning for each one
OF us, every one wants success
in life No one wants to tali
in his business, his friend
ships, his loves or in the struggle TO
reach his ideals.
But many of us do fail, for reasons
which we could overcome If we under
stood them A large percentage of
those preventable failures spring from
faults in our mental keup-from
bad mental habits, wrong attitude
toward life, inability to understand
ourselves.
We see what a heavy toll disorders
of the mind exact from human happl-
ness, when we realize that of all the
beds in all the hospitals throughout
the United States one in every two
is for mental disease; in other words.
there are as many beds for mental
ailments as for all other ailments put
together. This does not count the
enormous number of people with
minor mental defects who manage to
carry on, though inefficiently, without
hospital treatment.
SO far a. success in business is con-
cerned. Gao American people are re-
Earded 40 the most fortunate on
earth This is partly because we have
q passion for efficiency. When we
want to build an automobile we make
a careful study of all principles and
motions involved. decide how each can
be performed most effectively, and
pan a factory along those lines.
We have carried the same idea into
medicine. Believing that it is more
efficient to keep people well than to
cure them after they have become
sick, we have examined the machin-
cry of the body in detail, studied
under what conditions it functions
best. and have drawn up and broad
cast innumerable health codes.
Though the same study is being made
OF the mind to show how apparently
minor defects of character may make
for success or failure in life, this
branch of medicine, known as PSYCHE
airy has been late in developing. AT
last. however, it has taken it's place
in the program of preventive medi-
cine, in the form of the so-called men,
tai hygiene movement.
With realization of how much it
would mean to the average man and
woman If a group of the leading
psychiatrists of the country were to
tell, simply and clearly, what they
have learned about the causes of fail
ure, and about how failure may be
turned into success. the problem was
taken to the American Medical Asso-
citation and the American Psychiatric
Association, and with their approval
and Endorsement a conference of lead
ing physicians in the field of mental
hygiene was called to ask for sugges-
tons and assistance in mapping out
series of articles on why men fail.
THE conference was held in Cincin.
natl on June l and 2 and was
largely attended by the leading psy-
chiatrists of the country. Among |
those who were present at the con- |
ference were DR.. William A. White, |
st. EliZabeth's Hospi- |
tai. Washington, professor psychia- |
try, Georgetown University; DR.. Ber- /
nard Glueck, lecturer New School for |
Social Research, New York City; DR.. |
Floyd Haviland, former president |
American Psychiatric Association; DIR.
L. Vernon Briggs, Massachusetts, adj
visory board for the examination of
prisoners: DR. Karl A. Menninger,
Menninger Psychiatric Clinic; DR.. II.
W. Mitchell, former president Ameri-
IAN Psychiatric Association; DR.. Doug
as A. Thorn. director division of men,
al hygiene, Massachusetts; DR.. George
NJ. Kline, commissioner Department of
Mental Diseases. Boston; DIR. Arthur
II. Ruggles. professor of psychiatry
and mental hygiene, Yale University:
DR.. Earl D. Bond, secretary of Ameri-
can Psychiatric Association; DR.. Ann
psychiatrist, Metropolitan
Life Insurance Co.: DR.. William Rus
sell, professor of psychiatry, Cornell
University: Dr. Macfie Campbell, pro-
lessor of psychiatry, Harvard Uni
versity and Boston Psychopathic Hos
pital; DR.. Leonard Outhwaite, associ-
ate director Laura Spellman Rookie
teller Memorial Fund: DIR. Anita NJ.
Muhl. formerly assistant physician.
st. Elizabeth's Hospital, and psychia-
trisf Providence HoSpital. and Psychi-