Stier gives statistics for 1905 and 1906 in the German army, namely 35 per cent of dementia praecox cases. Under war conditions the army has developed far fewer cases: Bonhoeffer, 7 per cent; Meyer, 7.5 per cent; Hahn, 13 per cent. But although dementia praecox figures so much less frequently in the mobilized army than in the army of peace times (manic depressive psychosis is also less in evidence under war conditions), the psychopathic constitutions, hysterias, traumatic neuroses, and the like, run from 17.5 per cent (Stier, 1905-1906) to 54 per cent (Bonhoeffer), 37.5 (Meyer), 43 per cent (Hahn).
Schizophrenic symptoms. Aggravation by service.
Case 152. (De la Motte, August, 1915.)
A Landsturm recruit, 20, and somewhat peculiar in early life, got whipped by his comrades for getting back too late from leave. The next day he was commanded to carry a machine gun. He threw the gun down and made for the barracks. He was put under psychiatric observation, as he said he did not know what he was doing. His conduct seemed normal at first and he explained that he had heard noises and singing in his head,—pointing to the left ear where there was an otitis media. His skill, knowledge, and general experience seemed well in hand. However, he was not very communicative. Eventually a series of schizophrenic symptoms came to light. He had been hearing threatening voices of varying intensity for two years, sometimes a veil seemed to be before his eyes, sometimes he heard his thoughts, and felt that his whole personality was changing. He began to think that his facial traits were gradually turning into those of the physician. The hallucinations were so insistent that sometimes he did not know what he should do. He was evidently unfit for military service, and the decision was also made that the mental disease had been aggravated by service.
Re schizophrenia in the service, most authors point out that there was either patent or latent schizophrenia before mobilization. E. Meyer attempted to make a study of the influence of the war on psychopaths. He found that the ego of the psychopath remained relatively unaffected by the war. Naturally, the paretics and the seniles were unaffected. The grandiosity and self-centredness of the alcoholics remained as prominent as ever. Seventeen schizophrenic cases were studied, and some of these yielded entire apathy with respect to the war; others had the content of their delusions somewhat affected. Saaler remarks on the military tinge which dementia praecox assumes under war conditions. Dementia praecox and manic-depressive psychosis alike show war changes.
Shot himself in hand. Delusions.
Case 153. (Rouge, 1915.)
An infantryman, 26, left for the front August, 1914, was slightly wounded, recovered, went back to the front, and then is said, in March, 1915, to have shot himself in the hand. When up for military review a delusional state set in. It seems that he had been interned in several hospitals for examination, but escaped four or five times because physicians wanted to poison him and had partially succeeded.