Dr. Bary on Contemporary Views on Madness: Modern Ideas of Treatment With reference to the editorial of April 22 it would be perhaps some interest to make a brief sketch of the contemporary views of sanity, writes Dr. A Bary, ¥.0.
It is nowadays generally' accepted that insanity is the reaction of the individual to the condition of environment. The average ind dual may, more or less, adopt himself to the social conditions of his time but there remains a good num. ber of there who revolt against the contemporary standard of life; what happens with them? Some, fighting the laws, turn criminal; others, more gifted, find relief in science and art, become poets, artiste, scientists, ete.; still others endowed with exceptional gifts try to change those conditions they don't like thus creating new systems of government, social evolutions, religions, ete, Some in the struggle of life react in quite abnormal ways and appear; to their fellow citizens more or less) insane.
The Hysterical Reacti There is for hysterical rea understood by following examples. A healthy married woman say has the wish to get from her rather ious husband a new dress; what will shode? She will try to be as sweet as possible to her husband, order his best liked dishes, persuade him perhaps that a new dress shown Public dance may raise his ere-and by these and other clever tricks obtain what she wish. And the hysterical wife? She will react quite otherwise, she will have awful]
will get totally mad and this! will continue till the dress is ordered. Two soldiers are going to the front; the one might persuade his superiors that he, as a skilful] draughtsman or experienced accountant, is more useful in some offic in the rear, the other will go to the front, but after the first experi ence of shell fire he suffers from the effects of shell shock which is in reality a hysterical reaction, and, therefore, after treatment is' also sent {0 the rear. We see that in these cases the "flight into the! disease" enabled the affected to cscape from the disaster of the environment. The hysterical reaetion can occur nearly in everybody; but in a hysterical Lady it will be produced by the aspect of a spider whilst in a healthy man it might be evoked only by quite exceptional causes as shell shock, earthquake, ete, Other Characteristics Other mental disorders originate in such individuals who from their birth bear some peculiar features though they might, during their whole life, be not ' only perfectly] sound but even have prominent careers, Sach is the ease in Shizo. in m systematized form and, consequently shyness, extreme suspicion, ete. called shizoid character from wi The peculiarities of the so: may develop shizophrenia, ti or great caution together with some inclination to systematization during the normal state, create romantic individuals, splendid caleulators, wonderful chess players, great philosophers; but some of the inadequate conditions of environssform these very] into insane per outery ideas as was the case with Torquato Tasso and Strindberg.
It is obvious that in the case of shizophrenia, as in every ease insanity, it is quite impossible to trace a' distinct boundary line between the normal and the abnormal state; the peculiarities of shizoid character may be rather exaggerated so as to offer real morbid signs.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.