Evening star., 1942-10-31
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.


new type of mind disease, probably
restricted to war service, is appearing
among soldiers and sailors.
Specifically, it seems hardly distin-
guishable from schizophrenia, or mind
splitting" which is one of the most
prevalent forms of psychosis in the
United States and, at least until very
recently, the most difficult to treat.
1t differs, however, in that it's onset
is much more sudden, its course storm
ier and it's cure apparently automatic
and complete in few months.
Army psychiatrists, however, have
adopted the policy of giving its victims
disability discharges from the service,
even after they appear perfectly sane
and well balanced. The malady may
account for some cases which were dag
nosed as extremely severe types of she'll
shock in the last war, when the worst
"shell-shocks" often were men who never
had been near the front lines.
The condition has been described
from both st. Elizabeth's Hospital,
where many mental casualties from both
Army and Navy are received, and from
Walter Reed Hospital, the Army medi-
cal center.
Schizophrenia, or dementia precoX,
usually appears in early adult life, but
Is gradual in it's onset, and examining
psychiatrists claim that they usually
can detect person likely to develop the
condition at the time he is drafted or
tries to enlist There is often a tainted
heredity.
But there is nothing to indicate the
probability of the present condition and
before its onset the soldier may seem
extraordinarily well balanced.
Ordinary schizophrenia developes
gradually from bad to worse. This type
is extremely hallucinated and often
violent from start to finish.
Ordinary schizophrenia long was con-
sidered incurable by any treatment
known to psychiatrists, although victims
sometimes automatically recovered.
Within the past few years many cures
have been accomplished with various
shock treatments, in which the patients
are thrown into deep comas by such
drugs as insulin and metrolzol. This
type RECEIVERS without any shock treat
ment. A case which does not probably
is one of true schizophrenia. The near
est paralel-perhaps the two are iden-
tical-is the so-called prison psychosis"
which men develop in confinement and
| from which they recover as soon as
they are released from Jail
In either case there Is no question Of
taking" The war schizophrenia is
believed by the Army psychiatrists to
| be as genuine as true schizophrenia, but
with different etiology. Soldiers refer
to the condition as "goohng off," ac-
cording to Col. William C. Porter, emf
nent psychiatrist of the Army Medical
Corps, and when they regain their sanity
will boast that they faxed the whole
| episode in order to get out of the service.
| This is because they do not like to be
| followed through life with the stigma
! of having been insane. r.
Says Col. Porter in a report to the
| journal Psychiatry: Every military
| psychiatrist of extensive experience
| knows that there is a degree of stress
| peculiar to military duty which is capa-
BILE of breaking men whose family history
is unusually good and whose military
| history is excellent. There have been
| historic examples of whole units show
ing temporary but marked manifesto
| tlons of major or minor psychotic re-
| actions. The most potent factors in such
situation seem to be fatigue, nutrition
deficiency, fear of the unknown, inability
to strike back and profound discourage
ment. These factors are usually present
after prolonged losing engagement
with retreat, loss of shelter from enemy
| fire, irregular or no nourishment or
sleep and with no hope of reaching
safety at the end of retreat
THE personality situation in which
acute schizophrenia is most apt to de-
velop is as follows: The soldier is
| usually stationed at a post far enough
from home to make at difficult, if not
almost impossible, for him to visit on
| furlough or pass. Distance or lack of
| funds may be the reason or perhaps
his unit may be engaged, or about to
engage in some military function which
renders furlough impossible. A letter
arrives saying his mother or some rela-
tive is i'll. A little wishful thinking
| reads serious illness or the possibility
of death into the news.
He becomes frantic, goes into panic
like state or state of mutism, or a
catatonic state, and often makes more
or less bona fide attempts at self-de
struction. He may, or may not. describe
trance-like hallucinations-for example
his mothers voice or Gods voice. He
passes from the station hospital to a
general hospital. Usually as soon as
he is fairly embarked on the period of
examination he begins to improve and
by the time he reaches the final general
hospital he is free from hallucinations
and from manifest signs of detachment
This hypothetical or typical acute
schizophrenic is discharged from the
service on certificate of disability, not
because he is still psychotic but because
he has proven himself vulnerable to
military life. In the desire to intrust
lives and homes and destinies only tc
a military force which is composed OF