The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-10-09

the benches with such innocent,
baby faces and black cynicism in
their hearts, just like all medical
students from time immemorial.
My, my! the things they've seen,
the places they've been since then
African deserts, English viii
lagos, coral islands in an empty
sea.
They're very nice to come over
and talk TO the old man, though
it's kind of like the fellow who was
drowned in the Johnstown flood
and when he got to heaven he be-
gan to tell his experiences to
Noah. | was in the slogging war
none of your boys wars. My
general was John j. Pershing, and
no drawer man ever stood up in a
uniform of a soldier of the United
States.
Methods of Rehabilitation
Well, they have been through
plenty, these returning warriors
and deserve all the very best we
can give them. Some of them, es-
pecially fliers, are prctty well
broken up emotionally and why
wouldn't they be? A keen, clear
eyed young medical officer was
telling me the latest method they
have of rehabilitating these men.
| suppose all of us stay-at-
homes when we read the individ-
ual stories of what one or another
of these men have gone through
wonder how we ourselves would
have acted if those horrors had
happened to us. i hope | would
have acted all right, but as l ex-
anime MYSELF | honestly don't
know. Some of the experiences are
too inhuman to be conceived as in
a state Of civilization. No wonder
that many, although they act with
manly fortitude during the ordeal,
have the memory haunt them until
they are unfit for duty.
The particular group Of which
my medical officer friend was
speaking had gone through such
experiences and were in the state
that / suppose is what we called
shell shock in the last war. They
don't want TO talk and they don't
want to associate with anyone
else. They become morose and
asocial.
A treatment which has nroved
quite successful consists in In
ducing a kind of twilight sleep,
and getting them to talk while
they are in this condition. 1t is in
duced by giving a mild anaesthetic,
or at least an anaesthetic that can
be controlled as to the amounts of
its effects. 1t is pentothal sodium
and is given in the vein with a
hypodermic syringe. Just enough
is given TO break down the
shocked mans reserve and allow
him to talk.
He is led to talk about the ex-
perience that affected him so deep
" and when once the flood gates
are opened he talks freely. This
has the psychological effect OF
bringing what was in his subcon-
scious up into experience and after
he comes out of the anaesthetic
he talks it over and over with a
sympathetic psychiatrist who is
able to explain the mechanism of
his experience, show him that they
are not abnormal or nothing to be
ashamed Of. The treatment I'M
usual as it sounds has had q large
record of successes.
This is one Of the methods in use
Tor the mental rehabilitation of
war casualties. Of course in the
field of physical rehabilitation Of
manned limbs, eyes and ears the
most scientific and effective meth
DDS are now in constant use.
Besides this | am strongly in
FAVOR Of rehabilitation in the way
of education. These young men
have had the most fruitful years
Of their lives taken away from
them-years during which under
peacetime conditions they would
be getting higher education. This
defect should be corrected. And
! do not mean entirely vocational
training, but broad basic cultural
education. Let US make CT. Joe
mean General Information Joe.