The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-07-23
WHEN IS A MAN INSANE?

If an aienist gives his opinion that man is insane and advises the man g relatives to take the man at once to q sanitarium or hospital for the treatment of such cases, without court order, and subsequently, it turns out that the man was not insane at all, but only suffering with a nervous breakdown
 This is a hypothetical question submitted to me by reader.
 When we arrive at the point where the hy- pothetical person suffers q hypothetical nervous breakdown which is not insanity at all. right there I throw fit on the stand and let myself out of the case. l am disqualified as an expert witness. because believe and teach that there is no such thing as nervous breakdown"
 But just for the sake of an argument let's have the nervous breakdown" nonsense strick- from the record and go on with the ques- tion.
 turns out the man was not insane at al is the alienist guilty of malpractice?
 This is legal question. Again am dsquali- fled because l have only an amateurish knoWi- edge of the law.
 But I know that if the doctor gave it as his honest opinion that the patient was insane and advised the relatives to take the patient to suitable Hospital for treatment. that is not malpractice. even if the doctors diagnosis is not concurred in by other doctors. If there Is evil dence that the doctor (alienist) makes such diagnosis and gives such advice knowing or be- lievng the patient is not insane then that would indeed be malpractice. From the context. particularly that naive al- fusion to nervous breakdown, l suspect this is one of those not infrequent instances where the popular prejudice against the stigma of insanity in the family" reacts against the pro- fessional repute of an honest physician. No matter whether he poses as an "alienist' a misanthropist, doctor is only human, and it is human to err. Of course he is just as likely 10 one side as on the Other-to regard a sane man as insane or to believe an insane man is sane. IL depends on the conduct, reactions and general symptoms the doctor happens to observe in his study of the patient. It is the popular prejudice against the all leged stigma of having insanity in the family" and not the ignorance or malicious intention of the doctor that is to blame for most of these | unpleasant situations.
 People ought to snap out of their medieval notions of the mad house. the asylum | and pay occasional visits to the hospitals and i ga ta riums provided by the state and by pri- | vate organizations for the treatment of insan- | ity. Instead of being sad fate for the patient | to enter such an institution for care and treat | ment, 1t is really great blessing. compared with the unfavorable environment most pa | tents with mental disturbance have in their | own homes.
 | QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Sulphur to Prevent Turning Gray | A newspaper man sends in the recipe gfv-
 cn his wife by Washington skin specialist to
 prevent the hair from turning gray. He says he
 believes 1t worked as long as he used 1t himself,
 slips and Father Time shows his hand, cou-
 pie hours pIuckng and return to the bottle
 enables her to bloom forth as young girl The | Carbon disuIphidc ........... 5000 1 Sulphur precipitateI ........... 200 | Carbon tctrachlOridc ....... 1000 | Mix. Hub on scalp with cotton two nights a 1 The newspapcrman says this sets him back
 about $2i2 every time he has fresh bottle made up by the pharmacist. I hate to interfere, but l. should say the price is excessive, but suppose the druggist has got to live l No Dentists | PI.r-, recommend a dentist who can. . (S. J Aj
 Ar- ,~t--l have no data dentists Boy Minus spleen | I saw the inquiry Of E. F. in your column Our son had enlarged spleen. He received x-
 ray treatments but finally had to have his l spleen removed at the age of f2 years The | cases are similar that I am interested fin E. F.'s daughter and will bc glad to answer any
 questions B' r. may wish to write me- tMrs s. S)
 | Answer-I regret l scannot put one core. spondent in touch with another even if | would However. II might be of interest to men ton here the results experienced from removal
 of the spleen in your sons case.