DOCTORS ON WAR NERVES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 257, 25 July 1919, Page 8

DOCTORS ON WAR NERVES

NEW OPINIONS ON SHELL'SHOCK.

The great advance in the treatment of shell-shock, hysteria, neurasthenia, and other functional nervous diseases was discussed recently at the clinical meeting of the British Mcdioal. Association in the Imperial College of Science, South Kensington. "We have found, out, by the immense number of 60ldiers discharged as permanently unfit, what a large proportion of the males of a highly-civilised country possesses a neurotic predisposition," said Lieut.-Colonel F. AY. Mott, of the Maudsley Hospital. "Iu 1917 it was calculated that a third of the unwoundwi, and a''seventh of the total discharges, including the wounded, were permanently unlit on account of functional nervous or mental diseases. "A great many of. the men returned S3 suffering from shell-shock would have been more appropriately designated snellEmotional shock was the cause of soldiers becoming blind, dumb, or paralysed, without suffering any injury through the bursting of a shell close to them. They could be cured in a few minutes by con-tra-euggestion. "The war has produced no new nervous disease," Colonel Mott said. "It is 'the same hysteria and neurasthenia which neurologists knew before the war. I have seen hysteria and neurasthenia arise from the fear of conscription, inoculation has been followed by hysterical paralysis." In one case a man lost the use of his legs a quarter of an hour after inoculation. "He was sent to various: hospitals and brine baths. He was then boarded out of the Army, and received a pension of £2 12s. for himself, wife, and family. He was sent to me by the Chelsea Pensions Board, arriving with, crutches and a contracted knee. Ho was induced to walk in half an hour, and in a week was discharged cured." Referring to the "herd instinct, Colonel Mott said that in 10 per cent, of a regiment, to fight was the instmctivo reaction of self-preservation; in ICI per cent, the instinctive reactions were ilijjlit or concealment; in the remaining 80 per cent the primitive emotions (anger and fear) are equally represented. ' "In the. dreams of soldiers, ideas ot nast war experiences are revived with "rent vividness. But the Strangest phenomena of forgotten dreams of soldiers suffering with shock are observed in those who, in their sleep, act as though they were engaged in battle and go through the pantomime of hgnting with bombs, with bayonet, with maclunc.'iin, and with rifle, and yet remember nothing of those incidents when they awalce. , . f "Neurasthenics, who 60 frequently sulfer in the early morning with symptoms of nervous exhaustion and irritability, owe this condition to the exhausting effects of dreams which they may not recollect. Such an effect wears off as tne dav advances." There has been little or no shell-snocK in the Navy, said one speaker who lookpart in the discussion, probably due to the fact that a shell bursting in a compartment of the vessel has its force mostfy confined to that place; hysteria never obtained a footing on board ship, and all the nervous cases were neurasthenic The curious fact that shell-shocked men will not speak of their past experience, even to doctors, was cited by one speaker. "Of 100 men, not one will veil vuu what he has been through.

Remarkable billiard play was witnessed at Leigh (England) recently, «'">" !"• man conceded 350 in 800 to G. Ileßin. bottom, the Lancashire amateur billiard champion, who iron by 800 to 350, tlr.is defoatin" Inmnn by 100 above the conceded start. By breaks of 59, 49, 42, If)S. and fit, Hoginbottoni gained an overwhelming lead. Inman made one fine break of 170, his other breaks beiiiß 58, Sβ, and 60.