Dr. L. J. Pollock, professor of nervous diseases at Northwestern
University Medical School, made an extremely interesting “Analysis
of a Number of Cases of War Neurosis.” This analysis fully
conforms to the results obtained by me in my work on functional
psychosis and neurosis carried on for a great number of years.
It fully confirms the results of my studies, clinical and
psychopathological, that the causation, or etiology of functional
psychopathic states depends on fluctuations of the levels of neuron
energy, or physical exhaustion, fatigue, hunger and thirst, or
shock to the system, and more especially on the ravages of the fear
instinct, aroused during the dangers and horrors of war.
“Of several hundred cases which I observed in base hospitals in
France, copies of about 350 records were available. From these 200
of the more detailed ones were selected to determine the relative
frequency of some of the factors.... From the numerical group
has been excluded cases of emotional instability, timorousness,
hospital neuroses occurring as an aftermath of an illness or a
wound, the phobic reactions of gassed patients and constitutional
neuroses, and those not directly related to the war.
“Heredity as a factor plays but a small part, and the incidence of
neuropathic taint constituted little over 4 per cent.
“Of these 43 per cent followed shell fire, 36 per cent after
concussion as described by the soldier.... A definite history of
fatigue and hunger was obtained in 30.5 per cent. Both probably
occurred in a greater percentage, but were frequently masked by
other symptoms which occupied the patient’s attention to a greater
extent. Fatigue and hunger are important factors, not only because
they prepare the ground for an ensuing neurosis by breaking down
the defensive reactions, but also in that when the patient is more
sensitive and impressionable, the natural physical consequences of
fatigue are misinterpreted by him as an evidence of an illness, and
give rise to apprehension and fear.
“As frequently as fear is seen in some form or other in the
neuroses of civil life, so does it manifest itself in the war
neuroses. Fifty per cent of the cases admitted considerable fear
under shell fire. Concussion was the immediate precipitating cause
of the neuroses in 31 per cent of the cases. The symptoms of the
neuroses could be divided into those of the reactions of fear and
fatigue.”
These results corroborate my work on neurosis as due to exhaustion
of Neuron Energy and Self-Fear.
In fact, in one of my works written at the beginning of the war, I
predicted the wide occurrence of what is known as shell shock, war
shock or war neurosis. The prediction was fully corroborated by the
facts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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