Evening star., 1947-11-01

OF the exchanges that tney pToVloe uefely
market places and that it is not their func-
tons or their rights to attempt to control prices.
Grain prices are being given undue emphasis
as to the part they play in the overall food
price situation. The exchanges are being un-
fairly and illogically used as the whipping boy.
People are not being told that grain prices
represent only small part of the retail cost
represented in pound of round steak, pound
of butter, loaf of bread or bottle of milk.
Service charges and other increasing costs have
been much greater factors in rising prices of
these commodities than has the mere cost
of grain j. A. HIGGONS, Jr.,
Executive Wee President, National Association
of Commodity Exchanges and Allied Trades,
Inc.
DR.. Karpman on Psychiatric Terms
To the Editor of The Star:
Permit me to make few corrections in the
otherwise entirely veridical and excellent state
ment of my views by Miss Gutenberg.
The term "degenerScy," unfortunately head
lined, is not of my use. The term is objec-
tionable to all psychiatrists. 1t carries with
it tone of moral indignation which has no
place in scientific and professional work. These
people compare physically most favorably with
the average of the population, while mentally
they are often of superior intelligence. There
Is nothing degenerate about them, unless one
wishes arbitrarily to define their sex behavior
as one Of degeneracy.
Nor is the term sex psychopath' one that
we use in our work. The term "psychopath"
brings to ones mind the picture Of man who
is mean, contemptible ornery and Willfully
malicious. While psychiatry recognizes the
experience of some such individuals, it doesn't
apply the term at all to the particular group
under discussion. We still live in a puritanical
world and "sex" is still largely considered an
unmentionable topic, so that when you combine
such terms as "sex" and "psychopathy" the I'M
preston produced is terrific, and the popular
mind gets the idea that we are dealing with
nothing short Of an abysmal brute. In reality
they are often fine and gentle people, weak
rather than vicious, than whom no one deplores
the situation more than they themselves.
The article conveys the impression that these
sexual offenders are in a sort of group by them
selves, separate and apart, as it were, from the
rest of psychiatric problems. This Is not quite
true. We look upon the sexual offender as an
individual suffering from particular type of
neurosiS, in the makings of which he had no
hand and whose execution he cannot control.
He is driven by an irresistible impulse, which
he can no more control than normal person
can control his breathing. The same may be
said OF the many individuals who are driven
to drink by forces beyond their control or in
dividuals who suffer from the great variety Of
anxieties, depressions, compulsions and other
neuroses. They are all brothers and sisters
under the skin. and while the outward mani
festations of each may be different, psyche
logically and genetically they are all related.
Psychiatry has It's own answers for the reason
why in one neurosis the reaction is expressed
by one set OF symptoms, while in another it Is
expressed by an entirely different set of symp-
toms; but that is another matter.
BEN KARPMAN, M. D.