AFTERMATH OF WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 July 1920, Page 6

AFTERMATH OF WAR.

■'PROBLEM OF SHELL SHOCK CASES, j ' A TAfUNAKI PROPOSAL. ! At the meeting of the Taranaki War i Relief Association at Stratford yester- • day, the secretary (Mr. W. Power) reported that the terms of the resolution of the annual meeting asking that, provision he made for a Home -for shell shock and irresponsible cases had been ! brought under the notice of tiie Advisor;,' Board, and also of the Ministers of Defence and Health, aud the Repatriation Board. _ ; In reply, the Hon. J. G. Coates (Minister of Defence), wrote stating that eases of, shell shock were not treated in 1 mental hospitals. A special military ■ hospital for shell shock, neurasthenia, and other functional nervous conditions, has been in existence at Hanmer Springs , • for more than twelve months, and such cases were sent to that institution. With reference to the suggestion that mental hospitals should be built in each island ■ <o accommodate returned soldiers suffering from mental conditions, he said 5 this question had been repeatedly and • very carefully considered, in consultaI tion with the Inspector-General of Hos- | pitals, and * had besn decided for sev- ' eral reasons that it would not be to the , | Advantage of returned soldier mental patients to be isolated. In c'acli of the i mental hospitals there was a special an- ' j nexe in which the cases that were improving were kqpt and were not associi ated with cases very seriously affected. . ! Soldier patients who wete in a suitable condition were sent to these annexes. This policy of distributing "service" patients through the civilian mental hospitals was one which had proved satisfactory in England. 1 • The chairman said the letter was i satisfactory as far as it went, but did not deal actually with the kind of case . the Association desired to reach. He did not approve of the annexe system. Mr. Mills considered the answer was i by no mean« satisfactory. To commit ■ men who were only slightly unbalanced to such an institution as mentioned i would aggravate their cases, or at least [ militate against their chances of improvement. Mr. Atkinson said that what was required was something in the nature of a country home, under certain supervision. I The chairman: That is so. He remarked that the Association was endeavoring to reach the class of case ' which were slightly unbalanced but not so had as to warrant their accommoda- ' tion in a mental hospital. 1 The executive decjded to await the cutcome of proceedings at the Advisory Board, where their remit will come unj der discussion.