Evening star., 1940-05-21
Tests Are Proposed
On Recruits 10 Avoid
Shell Shock Cases
Association Would
Put Psychiotrists at
Enlistment Stutions
- the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
CINCINNATI, May 21.-Many
potential deserters and shell-shock
victims will be eliminated from
Uncle Sans emergency army be-
fore they even don uniform.
The American Psychiatric Associa-
ton was told today by its president
DR.. William Sandy, of Harrisburg
Pa, of plans to examine every re-
cruit as to his nerve as well as his
physical capability.
He declared a military question
/ naire now is being circulated among
psychiartrists, having as his OBJ
jectice preparedness for meeting
the requirement of any national
emergency"
The association, he said, is seek
ing to have trained psychiatrists
available at every station to assist
other medical examiners in de-
termining the mental fitness of re-
cruits.
Under the plan it would no longer
be possible for adventurous boys te
enlist by telling untruths, or fol
psychopathic and potential nervous
cases to pass examination and later
become wards of the Government.
10000 Cases from Last War.
There are now more than 10000
cases of nervous disorder in vet
erans' hospitals as a result. of the
last war. DR.. Sandy declared it is
planned to reduce that number
greatly in case the United States
becomes involved in the present
war
Military psychiatrists attending
the annual meeting of the associa-
ton said mental examinations are
particularly necessary in the selec-
ton of airplane pilots. In addition
to sound health, the pilot of today's
350-m.p.h. planes must have per-
feet coordination of brain, nerves
and muscles and the ability to act
instinctively.
DR.. Burtrum c. Schiele of the
University of Minnesota declared
that the people who say they didn't
sleep a wink all night" may have
been dreaming that they were
awake.
He has invented an apparatus tt
record the movements of sleeping
persons. A professional man COM
planned of insomnia and insisted
that he tossed about all night. The
device, consisting of a stirrup at
tached to one foot and connected
with an electric recorder, showed
that the man had more than six
hours Of steady sleep every night.
Settle Down Finally.
The device shows, DR.. Schiele
said, that most people toss and turn
for as much as a half hour, ther
settle down to uninterrupted slum-
ber for the first half of the night
with the second half being slightly
disturbed. Mince pie and other
heavy meals as well as emotional
excitement causes more tossing
around while sleeping, he said.
Using only waste materials such
as corn shucks, pencil stubs and
discarded bowling pins, hundreds OF
patients in Kentucky's three hos
pitals for mental diseases have found
a path to recovery through occupa-
tional therapy at virtually no cost to
the taxpayers.
Their handicraft is being dis
played at the association meeting
here by DR.. j. G. Wilson, director
of the Kentucky Division of Hospi-
tails and Mental Hygiene.
Everybody knows the value OF
occupational therapy," he said today
"but the usual reason given for its
neglect is the lack of funds. We
didn't have any funds, but just by
salvaging scraps and junk usually
thrown away we have been able to
help bring the people out of them
selves and start many on the road
to recovery"
Hats Made of Corn Shucks.
From corn shucks the patients are
making women's hats, stool and
chair seats, handbags and draperies
Scraps of baling wire from the hos
pital farms become baskets. Thread
unraveled from feed, burlap and
sugar sacks is crocheted. Old bowl
ing pins, supplied without cost by
=