Evening star., 1928-10-21
SCIENCE PLANS CAMPAIGN
FOR REDUCTION OF CRIME
Active Drive by Neurology Institute Will
Rely ON Study and Treatment of
Gland System.
BY WALTER TIMME, M. d.

Clinical Professor Of Neurology at the Neu-
rological Institute and at Columbia
UniverSity.
TINE real criminal is not the low
browed, short. swarthy indi-
vidual that the fiction writers
love to depict as the perfect
master of crime; In reality he is
usually of the athletic, open faced, pink
checked. blond type, whom the same
fiction writers are wont to describe as
the hero of the piece.
Such men are often victims of the
disturbing insidiousness of glandular
diseases; for the misbehavior of the
thymus, thyroid and pituitary glands
may cause the bodily form of an indi-
vidual to develop along different lines
from those 1t would normally take. and
may also twist and warp the PERSONAL
ity. Science now realizes that not only
are many of the people who cannot
fit themselves comfortably into life suf-
fering from glandular defects, but that
the failure of these little organs to
function as they should is even the
cause of many of our most brutal and
revolving crimes. This is an encourag-
ing discovery. because it means that in
such cases criminal tendencies can
often be wiped out and personality re-
formed by an operation or by proper
medical treatment.
The opening Of the Neurological In
stitute's new building, which. with
others Of the medical center group in
New York City. was dedicated on Octo-
ber - to the service Of humanity and
the progress of science, is new mile
stone In the research work into this
question of the relation between glands
and personality. Here. with increased
space and working facilities and with
the fund for the purpose which is now
being raised an active campaign will
be carried on to curb criminality with
the aid of science That this can be
done has been proved by II years of
study which have definitely linked
glandular disturbances to criminal ten
dencies.
As to Marriage.
The part played by the glands In
making lawbreakers of otherwise decent
citizens is not however, the only inter-
esting angle of these researches.
Glandular disturbances do not always
produce criminals. and the question is
not necessarily one of crime. 1t may
be one of compatibility, of determining.
by the nature of their glands. whether
or not two people will be happy to-
gether-two people, for instance, who
wish to marry.
A man who has a big thyroid gland
that keeps him on the uui vive. alert
and very energetic; who is known as a
go-getter. a hustler. and who rushes
around from morning to night, nervous
and eXcitable, should never think of
marrying a woman whose thyroid
gland is shrunken and ineffective. Her
glandular condition is likely to mani
fest itself in WEAKNESS. Indifference and
mental and physical slowness. Such a
husband Is likely to wear her out and
she to be a drag on him.
The glands whose malformation or
improper functioning warps personality
and sometimes helps to make criminals
are the thymus, thyroid and pituitary
The pituitary gland located in pocket
within the skull and protected by bone
formations. influences brain activity.
Through its secretions. which seep into
the blood stream, it brings about GER
tain chemical changes necessary to the
normal individual
The thymus gland is located in the
chest and is one of those glands which
governs growth. 1t is not the under
development but the overactivity of
the thymus which causes trouble.
The thyroid gland is soft mass in
the neck and prepares the products of
bodily oxidation for elimination. 1t is
not usually possible for an uniformed
person to know whether or not these
glands are functioning properly and the
effects they produce are. therefore.
sometimes sscribed to other causes.
Why. there's nothing the matter
with my child" said an indignant
mother to an exasperated principal
when he advised her to take her hand
some. healthy-looking son to a doctor
"It is true he is rather unmsnage-
able" She had to acknowledge this in
view of the bows tempestuouS career
at endless schools.
Hes more than unmanageable. He's
bad" said the principal BADLY, I'm
fact. he's so bad I feel sure that there
must be some physical reason for it.
When the youngster was brought for
examination he was Is years old.
Physically he was all that he should
be- He ate we'll He slept we'll. He
felt all right But he was sick. He
was absolutely unmanageable. His
temper was terrific He was a klepto-
maniac And he denied every
charge.
X-Ray Reveals Trouble.
Through X-ray examination Of the
skull the trouble was found to be of
pituitarv type. The pituitary gland
was not functioning properly; there
forn he was unable to compete nor
mallv in the problems Of life Treat
ment was started in 1922. He was