Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-22

~~-~-~~--~-------~---
chiatric research: in addition to
lack of suitable monetary rewards,
he attributes much to "cultist
feuding," with the adherents of
some cults declining to see the
necessity of scientific evaluation of
their results or else insisting on
conducting their own studies of
their efficiency.
Pointing out the beneficial effects
of research into such diseases as
tuberculosis, paresis, epilepsy and
pellagra, the author justifiably in
dicates optimism as to the outcome
of intensified psychiatric research,
especially on physiological lines.
The latter, he says, have been
seriously neglected in the past and
currently in favor Of what he
terms NEUROLOGICAL thinking" that
is, the devotion to psychological
and cultural explanations of mental
illness.
The New Drugs
Several chapters are devoted to
the new drugs" notably chlor-
promazine and reSerpine. Mr.. Cor
man says: In the entire history of
the physiological attack upon
mental illness, no development has
been more significant than the re-
cent drugs in the treatment Of q
wide variety of mental Illness" In
deed, as he points out, there is now
q change of emphasis from psy-
chology to biology In the approach
to mental illness and its treatment.
The problem Of personnel short
ages is serious. Here. too. Mr.. Cor
man offers hope - provided a Wig
orouS campaign is instituted to aid
the medical schools, increase the
number of doctors graduated, and
improve their pSychiatric training.
The programs of training and re-
search now being undertaken by
several regional groups under the
leadership Of the Council of State
Governments are pointed to as
most encouraging.
The latter part of the book dis
cuSses the fields in which PSYCHE
atric research has been undertaken
with some results for actually
work has been under way, and the
tempo is increasing. Zone privately
endowed research in the field of
schizophrenia, in progress over 20
years, has apparently escaped the
authors attention, namely, that ini-
tiated and supported by the North
ern Masonic Jurisdiction of the
Scottish Rite.)
Some OF the fields of research
mentioned by Mr.. German as
needed, in addition to schizophre-
mia, are Senile dementia, mental de-
f1ciency. alcoholism and drug addic-
ton. psychoSomatic medicine, and
the brief and group types of psyche
therapy. Studies of the outcome of
State hospital care and of the
means and results of rehabilitation
have been under way. with result
ing additions to knowledge and
suggestions for improved care of the
hoSpitalized mentally i'll, but more
study is called for.
Mr.. German suggests some fields
of study which offer promise. such
as the chemical constitution of the
brain. cerebral circulation and me-
taboliSm. the nervous system and its
electrical activity, the endocrineS,
engines as related to mental dis
ease. and the hereditary factors in
mental disease.
A Look at the Future
AS for the future, the author
urges vigorous movement on the
part Of the general public, acting
through their State mental health
societies. He remarks that the
American Medical Association "has
recently discovered that mental ILL
ness is the biggest health problem"
although their Council on Mental
Health "acts like SO many charac-
tiers in search of script" (Their
discovery of psychiatry was pretty
recentD He is hopeful that the
newly formed Joint Commission on
Mental Illness and Health may pro-
duce document ''burying for all
time some of our obsolete concepts
and practices in treating mental
illness" There is ground for his
optimism here. He is a bit ungra-
cious in his attack on the National
Association for Mental Health, even
though their efforts have not been
especially conspicuous of late. They
are on the same side as Mr.. Cor
man. however, not opponents.
He is entirely right in saying that
1--WE must create powerful national
voice for those who are unable to
speak for themselves" Congress is
much interested now. and so are
the State Governors. But if his
tory can teach us a lesson, it is
that public interest and knowledge
must be extended and maintained
if the slump, too often noted after
crusadeS In the past, is not to be
repeated. We may be sure that Mr..
German will not let the public
lapse into apathy.