SOLDIERS’ NERVOUS TROUBLES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1692, 29 March 1917, Page 2

SOLDIERS’ NERVOUS TROUBLES.

IT is an unfortunate fact that some men who eome hack from the war .suffer more or less serious menial disorder's, necessitating their treatment on arrival here in some special institution. Hitherto the Health Department has provided for these men at an institution at Puketeraki, a seaside place near Dunedin. The treatment for these patients, who are mostly suffering from neurasthenia, shell-shock, and other nexwous disorders, is, at Puketeraki, recreation such as bathing, boating, and fishing in the open air. This treatment has wrought many wonderful cures, but unfortunately some of the cases are so serious that they cannot with safety to the men be kept at such

an institution, and the men have to be sent to mental hospitals. There they are treated exactly like all other patients in these institutions. The law provides that no distinction can be made between patients in these institutions except for medical reasons. Altogether there are ten returned soldiers in mental hospitals throughout the Dominion. When he visited Auckland recently, the Minister of Public Health (the Hon. 6. W. Russell) consulted Dr. Beattie, Superintendent of the Auckland Mental Hospital, regarding the use of an institution known as Wolff Home for the treatment of these cases in the North Island, the only special’home now available being that at Puketeraki. Dr. Beatlie reported that the place was entirely suitable for the purpose, and the Minister proposes in future to use it to the fullest possible extent for the accommodation of soldiers coming back from the war suffering from shell-shock, neurasthenia, and similar disorders, in exactly the same way as Puketeraki is now used in the South Island.