Mental disease and defect in United States troops / by Edgar King.

  • King, Edgar, 1884-
Date:
[1914]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Mental disease and defect in United States troops / by Edgar King. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    jority of cases so diagnosed have been in such a stage of the malady as to leave no doubt as to its nature. It must be remembered that the number of cases admitted here does not represent by any means all those which arose in the service during the period under consideration. Quite a number: were returned directly to their homes, there to be cared for by State or family; undoubtedly a few cases without pronounced symptoms beyond mental enfeeblement were diagnosed and discharged as “ con- genital feeble-mindedness;” some, no doubt, whose symptoms were tn abeyance were discharged and allowed to go their way, though the disease was recognized, “not being dangerous to themselves or others.” A few soldiers reached us with symptoms in remission, were held for a time and discharged from hospital as “not insane” since being here; that is, they had shown no symptoms of a psychosis while under our care, by which we were able to make a diagnosis or which warranted their retention. Judged by their history all had been insane while in the service hospitals, and at least two or three of these “ not insane” were precox cases In a quiescent period. These facts tend to swell the number of cases of dementia precox actually dealt with by military surgeons during the year. How many of the soldiers who deserted during the year, who were dishonorably discharged on account of “previous convictions by summary court,” or who committed or attempted suicide, were mild or unrecognized cases of dementia precox we have no means of know- ing, though there is no doubt that not a few were. In all such cases where possible a careful mental examination should be made whether or not there is any outward evidence of a psychosis and should include a searching inquiry into the life history of the individual. The admissions to asylums from the general population show this disease to constitute from 15 to 25 per cent of all admissions. Our higher percentage in the military service is due to the fact that nearly all of our “ population ” is composed of young individuals. HISTORICAL. Jelliffe gives a historical summary of this disease which is interest- ing (1). He finds descriptions of cases as early as 80 A. D., which may be regarded as having been what we now call dementia precox. He quotes as follows from Willis, the English anatomist who wrote in 1672 “ many young people, in childhood intelligent to a degree and extremely teachable, so that by their learning and conversation they swept everyone with a state of admiration, afterwards as they grew older turned out stupid and dull, and those who before were very 1Exact number not available.
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