Evening star., 1939-04-16
Psychiatry Is Cited
AS Signpost in
Social Solutions
Dr.. Ewerhurdt Sees
Threat to Family Life
As Potential Danger

tures to be g1uen oy an erecutiDe
OF a Chest agency on "A Mental
Hygienist Looks at Life"
Psychiatry can point the way
toward the solution OF certain social
problems that constitute a threat
and a call to action, DIR. Paul j.
Ewerhardt declared yesterday in the
last OF his lectures on "A Mental
Hygienist Looks at Life" in the audi
torium of the United States Public
Health Service.
AS director OF the Washington In
stitute of Mental Hygiene, a Com
munity Chest agency, DR.. EWerhardt
has presented his lectures at the in
vitation OF DR.. George e. Rutland,
Health Department director for the
District, before group OF public
health doctors, nurses and also In
structive Visiting (Chest agency
Nurses, who are interested in appli-
cation OF mental hygiene principles
to the health ana welfare of human
beings during their growth and de-
velopmenu.
Mental hygiene, as has been
pointed out, involves every area OF
life in the growing chlld-home,
school and community, and the
manner in wnlcn ne reacts Or re-
spends to them,' said DR.. Ever
hardt.
"It believes that all these areas
can contribute mucn to his sound
mental and emorlonaI growth. When
they fail to do so, Jnere evolve prob
lens, of social importance, that con-
stitute q threat ana call for action
not always tnougnttuIly worked
out"
Many Causes for Delinquency.
Juvenile delinquency, DR.. Ever
hardt pointed out, Is the result of a
set of factors rooted IN the fabric
of child's life Tor which there is
no one explanation or treatment 1t
Is the responsibility OF a society to
take cognlzance OF these factors and
make suitable provisions for them.
"Whatever threatens family life is
q source OF potenJlal danger to the
group, for which 1t may have to pay
dearly in the long rum" he empha-
sized.
Poverty, bad housing and unem-
ployment bear a dlrect relationship
to family insecurity and demoraliza-
ton. Ill nutrition, physical handl-
caps and disease are another area
whence originate, IN part, some OF
our social ailments. 1ndiscriminate
removal OF chlluren from their
homes ana separation or divorce OF
parents contribute third source OF
concern to society. All these are so
basically vital that their Importance
cannot be denied
"On the other hand, there is the
equally important problem of the
child growing up under circum-
stances in which ne Is helped to
develop inner strengths to face and
work out more successfully the many
conditions OF lite, some reasonable,
others perhaps unreasonable, since
the path OF LIE can never be ex-
pected to be entlrely smooth.
"A rational and practical goal of
mental hygiene is the achievement
within the individual and the group
Of capacities to make reasonably
good adaptation to conditions of
life"
Daily Problems Arise.
Man is exposed to an infinite
number of situations and conditions
in the course of a single day, all re-
quiring some form or kind of ad-
tustment, DR.. Ewerhardt pointed out.
They range from the purely physio-
logical to the most intricate and
complex, social and spiritual. Under
normal conditions the body will ad-
just itself from a state of rest to
one of activity through an increase
m the rate of the heart and respira-
,t1on. If this were not the case the
individual soon would succumb If q
heart should be impaired special
situation exists that requires an ad-
Justment on the level of not sub
Jectlng it to any sudden or severe
strain. Under average conditions
such an impaired heart will function
Indefinitely. The same holds true,
generally speaking, of other condi-
tions of life to which the human
personality must adjust itself. The
quality of adjustment, or the man
ner IN which person responds to a
set OF conditions sheds much light
on whether he will go successfully
or not through life.
A person having an impaired heart
has some understanding of his all
ment and manages his life accord
ingly, DR.. EWerhardt continued. But,
Tor the most part, he remains largely
unaware of the real source of his
dlfhculties when it involves those
more complex adjustments to per-
sons, special situations, or the cir
Acumstances of life. In a search for
cause it is the tendency to blame
something or somebody with the
result that matters turn out less
satisfactorily.
Valuable Work Possible.
.. A clearer recognition on their part
OF the home of the emotional aspects
underlying relationships within the
family group may be provided by
case work agencies, he continued.
Because of the extent of the relief
problem, a large segment of the
population can be reached through
q sufficiently large experienced social
work staff to give fundamental
service far beyond that of material
assistance.
Through the development of psy-
ch1atrlc ana social case work serv-
ices. educational systems can de-
tect the very early beginnings of
maladjustment IN children and ef-
fectively reacn sources Of the diff
Guilty as 1t concerns home and
school, DR.. Ewernardt stated, In