Evening star., 1940-03-23
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study

In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
Nurses, attendants ana doctors of one
Of the. worlds largest hospitals for the
insane are soon to become actors, %ake
part In the strangest system yet devised
for treating disordered minds.
They will stage dramas, with the pa
tients in the leading roles, in which all
the delusions and hallucinations Of the
victim will be made real.
Suppose, for example, that q man is
committed who thinks he is Napoleon.
He will be addressed as "your majesty"
Attendants will bow before him like court
lunkies. Josephine will quarrel with
him. Generals and ambassadors will re-
port to him for orders. Couriers will
arrive with news of great victories.
Or If he thinks he is Hitler he will
be appropriately introduced and make
fiery speeches to the world at large
through a microphone. Chamberlain
will confer with him. Goebbels and Goer-
ing will report to him. If the patient
thinks he sees ghosts, some real ghosts
attendants dressed up as such-will
haunt him in the eerie hours of the
night.
This system of psychiatric treatment
has been worked out recently by DR..
Jacob L. Moreno and tested at a small
private hospital for the insane at Beacon,
N. Y. His results have been so encour-
aging that they are to be given a trial
at st. Elizabeth's Hospital, the great
Federal institution for the insane at
Washington. DR.. Moreno has agreed to
give instructions in his "psychodrama"
therapy to the st. Elizabeth's staff, ac-
cording to DR.. Winfred Overholzer, SUI
perintendant. A special type of revolv-
ing stage required in the treatment will
be installed. But the drama will be
continuous, on stage and of. Napoleon"
will never be given any hint that he is
not Napoleon.
The treatment is especially applicable,
DR.. Moreno explained to the st. Eliza
beth's staff, for persons suffering from
various mental maladies the central
core of which is the so-called "narcissus
complex" The victim builds up a
whole world centered around himself.
He peoples this world with "himselfs" or
alter egos, which are projections out of
his own brain.
The theory behind the treatment is
that there were moments when even
Napoleon in real life became humdrum
sort Of fellow, who discussed the weather
with Marshal Ney, discussed family af-
fairs with his valet, or gave his old
boots to the palace charwoman for her
husband. The fellow who has delusion
that he is Napoleon will have the same
down -to-earth episodes in which he will
strike up confidential, chatting acquain-
tances with his underlings. When this
happens, DR.. Moreno says, rapport
is established with something real The
person selected by the emperor for his
condolences becomes the doctor" 1t is
his job to continue his role, but grad
ually to work up more and more
friendly relation with his majesty.
Soon, if the system works WELL he can
begin to lead the victim back to a more
normal view of life.
1t is much the same theory, Dr. Mo-
reno says, as that Of psychoanalysis,
where the object is to create q confiden-
tial relationship between the patient and
the doctor. But, he says, this system
is much quicker and, despite the para
phernalia which must be provided
cheaper in the long run The disordered
mind projects its own doctor out of it
self, and to certain extent prescribes
for itself.
In such a large establishment as ST.
Elizabeth's, DR.. Overholzer explained
the application must be limited to few
especially selected patients. 1t may be
extended if results are obtained compa-
rable with those reported by DR.. Moreno
In the hands of the New York doctor
the treatment has at times been very
elaborate. One instance which he de-
scribed to the st. EIzabeths staff he
hired an entire country estate, servants
and all, in the treatment of a patient
who claimed he was a Bolshevist agent
who had been captured and was being
tortured by White Russians. Then an
accomplished actress was employed to
| pose as Communist undercover worker
arrange his escape from the sanitarium
where he was held, and take him to this
| place where he was treated to all the
difference and mystery his heart desired
This finally effected, he said, an expen-
| sive but partial cure of what had looked
| like hopeless case.
Adolf Hitler" did not get such ex-
| pensive treatment. His family could not
afford it and he was not so hopelessly
crazy. Der Fuehrer, it turned out, actu.
ally did have some basis for his delu-
sion, since investigation showed he actu-
ally had been associated with the beer
hall putsch and probably had known
| Hitler well at one time.
When he was admitted to the sani-
tarium he was treated with all the defer
ence Hitler could have expected from
his flunkies and given microphone over
which to broadcast to the world. He
started to speak in English.
But, your excellency," said DR.. Mo-
reno, why do you not address the world
in German?"
'r3ah," said adolf" "do you not
know German is the tongue of the das-
tardly Jews?"
DR.. overholzer apparently will not