Note arrow lengths: Theoretically, shell-shock neuroses, being presumably in large part functional, ought to ally themselves more closely with the left-hand group than with the right-hand group. But they do not!
In short, these functional diseases are not so hard to distinguish from various other functional diseases as they are from certain organic diseases. The most serious diagnostic problem is between the war neuroses and organic brain disorders.
Chart 18
LOGICAL PLACE OF THE “REFLEX” DISORDERS (OF BABINSKI-FROMENT)
| e.g. neurosyphilis paretica ORGANO- PSYCHOPATHIC | Hysteria e.g. DYNAMO- PSYCHOPATHIC |
| ORGANO- NEUROPATHIC e.g. neurosyphilis tabetica | DYNAMO- NEUROPATHIC Babinski’s “reflex” or physiopathic disorders e.g. |
A frequent error of neurologists has been to identify “functional” with “psychic” when it came to a question of the classical functional neuroses. The above diagram indicates that “functional” contains more than “psychic.” Doubtless much that goes under the name “unconscious” belongs in the right lower quadrant of this diagram. See discussion in text.
(k) We found many war cases showing emphasis, reminiscence, or repetition of ante-bellum phenomena (weak spots, locus minoris resistentiae, imitation), but
(l) we also found that perfectly sound untainted men could succumb to Shell-shock neurosis.
(m) We found a few purely psychogenic cases without sign or suspicion of physical shock.