Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-05-18
BY Thomas R. Henry
Science Editor Of The Stor

ATLANTIC CITY, N. j., May
17.-Criminals may be sorted by
brain waves.
Prisoners in large State prison
fell into two distinct groups. DR..
Sol Levy of the University of
Washington medical school re-
ported to the American Psychia-
trio Association here today.
The study showed first, he said,
that there is. a greater number
OF abnormal brain electricity pat
terms in the prison population
than in the population at large.
There was, however. large group
Of repeating law breakers whose
brain wave patterns were quite
normal. These apparently have
fixed personality patterns and can
never be expected to reform.
The second group consists of
lesser offenders. many of whom
have had only one brush with the
law. These. DR.. Levy said, prob
ably have an underlying in
stability Of personality rather
than a fixed pattern" They need
medical care. psychiatric and
otherwise. rather than punish
ment, and hold out good hope of
becoming useful members of
society.
A curious transfer of hostility
to the hospital on the part of
relatives visiting psychotic victims
was reported by Col. Eugene r.
1nwood. chief of neuropsychiatric
service at Walter Reed Hospital.
Such relatives, Col. Inwood said,
often expressed intense dislike for
the hospital and the Army, which
they blamed for the patients ILL
nesses. The study by the Army
doctors has revealed, he said, that
the real dislike is for the mental
victim himself: The relatives are
not willing to admit this, even to
themselves, and transfer their
SA0 w WIG A440U1OOO4O11s
When such relatives could be
induced to discuss their own feel
tngs with the pSychiatriSts the real
object Of hatred was uncovered.
When the real subconscious mo-
tives were revealed to them the
hostile reaction toward the hos
pital was greatly diminished and
often disappeared altogether. 1t
then becomes easier to treat the
patient. Col. Inwood said.
A standard method for bringing
out the subconscious motives of
the relatives is being worked out.
Psychiatric screening of draftees
probably must be greatly modi-
fed. 1t was reported by Drs. Nor
man @. Brill of Washington, psy-
chiatric consultant to the Army.
and Gilbert w. Beebe of the Ma
tional Research Council Commit
tee on medical problems Of vet
Grams.
This screening in the past, he
said, seems to have been based on
the idea that the country had
l1mitless man-power pool and that
everything should be done to elm
mate bad risks and those who
might be expected to have mental
crack-ups in the service. But any
other large scale mobilization, DR..
Brill said, probably will require
that many in the doubtful cate
gorles be accepted and given Jobs
compatible with their ability.
There is some question about
the validity of the screening
methods.
If all the psychotically pre-
disposed men had been kept out of
the Army in World War H." he
said. approximately a million who
served without ever breaking down
would never have been accepted.
Even those who required PSYCHE
atrlc care in the service, and even.
those overtly neurotic at the start
appear to have paid their way as
q group.
Thirty-five per cent of all
World War II psychiatric admis-
sions involved men who were nor
mai prior to entering the service
Resistance to military stress gen.
orally and to ground combat in
particular varies with age. Older
men have much higher rates of
psychiatric breakdown.
The net effect of breakdown
in service. as seen five years later,
is not as great as might be ex-
pected. There is relatively little
change in those who were previ-
ously normal. There is moderate
worsening of the emotional health
OF those with neurotic traits and
personality disorders. Combat