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THE NEED FOR MEDICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS
703 funds made by the British Socia,l Hygiene Council to enable its important educative work, particularly amongst adolescent youth, to he continued and developed along the broad National lines already planned by the Medical and Educational Advisory Committees of the Council. We are, Sir, yours faithfully, MARGARET RORKE, HORDER, KENNETH WALKER, T. DRUMMOND SHIELS,
practitioners are tardy in urging attendsuffering from what may seem are in reality so disabling as to be a heavy charge on national insurance. Superintendents of mental hospitals would not, in my opinion, be unsympathetic towards the appointment of psychotherapists who are fully trained and experienced, but something more tempting than present conditions will be necessary before they are forthcoming. If a well-equipped psychotherapist NABARRO. DAVID were attached to the out-patient clinic in several 0.9,rt(,.ret House. London. S.W.. March 18th. large towns on a half-time basis, adequate treatment of psychoneurotic patients would be ensured, and THE NEED FOR MEDICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS the experience of (say) three years’ trial could be To the Editor of Tor LA}.(’FT used for extending, modifying, or condemning the Sir,-A leading article in your last issue emphasises scheme. Section6 (3) of the Mental Treatment Act the need for psychotherapy in the provinces and enables local authorities to provide treatment as the difficulties in the way of providing it. No of out-patients persons suffering from mental illness, medical psychologist would doubt the justice of and salaried half-time posts would offer the pied a your conclusions, which my personal experience terre for private practice in the neighbouring district. bears out. A few months ago I made extensivee I am, Sir, yours faithfully, inquiries from medical and lay friends in three HENRY WILSON. IIarley-street, W., March 19th. different provincial areas in the north of England. There’, and less extensiveinquiries in other centres LILY-RASH VACCINE showed that whilst the need for psychotherapy was To the Editor of THE LANCET accepted by physicians, surgeons, and gynecologists, the difficulties of startiug a practice were very great, SiR,—Last October I published in your columns reserves of and ii., 755) some evidence that lily-rash is a sensiti(1934, requiringlarge money, patience, courage. There are few or no openings upon hospital sation disease which may be prevented by inoculating staffs, and local practitioners are still apprehensive a vaccine from daffodil stalks. I should be extremely of the psychological approach to psychogenic obliged if any of your readers who have been trying symptoms. The superintendents of provincial mental this vaccine would let me know : (1) the top dosehospitals are in charge of the new out-patient clinics i.e., number of units-reached before picking started ; established under the Mental Treatment Act of 1930. (2) if protection was given, and if so, to any degree. A large proportion of these patients are suffering I am trying to correlate reports from various users. from psychoneuroses, and the physicians and their There seems to be no doubt that inoculation does assistants are seldom able to give the time that such protect, but what dose is needed to give absolute cases require to ensure satisfactory results. Many protection has yet to be determined. I am. Sir. vours faithfullv. neurotics are with ditliculty persuaded to attend these clinics because of their connexion with
a
mental
hospital,
and
ance
upon persons minor disorders but
Hayle, Cornwall,
W. H. PALMER.
March ISth.
PUBLIC HEALTH Medical Members of L.C.C. Committees AT the last meeting of the London County Council the personnel of the various standing committees was the subject of recommendations from the general purposes committee. Medical members of the Council have been nominated to serveon the following committees :Entertainments: : Dr. S. McClements. Establishme?tt Miss E. Rickards (chairman). Fire Brigade and _llcciz Draiitage :Dr. McClements. Hospitals and Medical 8erl’Ìces: : Dr. C. W. Brook, Dr. S. Monckton Copeman, Mr. Somerville Hastings (chairman), Dr. S. V’. Jeger, Dr. F. Barrie Lambert, Miss Rickards, Dr. Henry Robinson, with the addition of Mr. H. L. Eason, not a member of the Council. Housing and Public Health :Dr. J. A. Gillison. 31eittal Hospitals : Dr. Brook and Dr. Robinson. Pa1’liamentary:Dr. Jeger. Public ÅssiHtance: : Dr. Barrie Lambert. Public ControlDr. Bernard Homa. Toiun Planning :Dr. Gillison. TFet-e of the Bh’H : Dr. Brook (chairman).
Modernisation of Darenth At a recent meeting of the London County Council estimate was approved of expenditure amounting to more than E300,000 on the training colony for mental defectives at Darenth. Designed originally to accommodate children, its use for this purpose an
has long been decreasing owing to the diminution in the number of trainable defective children for whom the L.C.C. has to provide institutional care. The accommodation is now to be readjusted to meet the demand for beds for adult mental defectives ; the number of these beds is to be increased from 1054 to 1518. At the same time the ward units will be reduced in size, the day-room space will be increased, and out-of-date structural details modernised. The plan also includes a new nurses’ home and a separate villa for 64 intractable female
patients. Safe Milk at L.C.C.
Hospitals
Several committees of the L.C.C. have been conthe report of the Economic Advisory Council on cattle diseases which was published about a year ago. In several ways this report touches closely on the work of the mental hospitals committee to whom the main question of interest raised by the report is whether pasteurisation should be enforced or whether the aim of milk producers should be to establish and maintain a clean herd. Experience of sampling and veterinary inspection of herds over many years has forced the L.C.C.’s medical officer to the conclusion that in spite of such measures it is
sidering
under
present
circumstances
impossible
to
ensure a
tubercle-free milk supply even from tuberculintested cows. The mental hospitals committee is therefore constrained to admit that the only sensible
practitioners are tardy in urging attendsuffering from what may seem are in reality so disabling as to be a heavy charge on national insurance. Superintendents of mental hospitals would not, in my opinion, be unsympathetic towards the appointment of psychotherapists who are fully trained and experienced, but something more tempting than present conditions will be necessary before they are forthcoming. If a well-equipped psychotherapist NABARRO. DAVID were attached to the out-patient clinic in several 0.9,rt(,.ret House. London. S.W.. March 18th. large towns on a half-time basis, adequate treatment of psychoneurotic patients would be ensured, and THE NEED FOR MEDICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS the experience of (say) three years’ trial could be To the Editor of Tor LA}.(’FT used for extending, modifying, or condemning the Sir,-A leading article in your last issue emphasises scheme. Section6 (3) of the Mental Treatment Act the need for psychotherapy in the provinces and enables local authorities to provide treatment as the difficulties in the way of providing it. No of out-patients persons suffering from mental illness, medical psychologist would doubt the justice of and salaried half-time posts would offer the pied a your conclusions, which my personal experience terre for private practice in the neighbouring district. bears out. A few months ago I made extensivee I am, Sir, yours faithfully, inquiries from medical and lay friends in three HENRY WILSON. IIarley-street, W., March 19th. different provincial areas in the north of England. There’, and less extensiveinquiries in other centres LILY-RASH VACCINE showed that whilst the need for psychotherapy was To the Editor of THE LANCET accepted by physicians, surgeons, and gynecologists, the difficulties of startiug a practice were very great, SiR,—Last October I published in your columns reserves of and ii., 755) some evidence that lily-rash is a sensiti(1934, requiringlarge money, patience, courage. There are few or no openings upon hospital sation disease which may be prevented by inoculating staffs, and local practitioners are still apprehensive a vaccine from daffodil stalks. I should be extremely of the psychological approach to psychogenic obliged if any of your readers who have been trying symptoms. The superintendents of provincial mental this vaccine would let me know : (1) the top dosehospitals are in charge of the new out-patient clinics i.e., number of units-reached before picking started ; established under the Mental Treatment Act of 1930. (2) if protection was given, and if so, to any degree. A large proportion of these patients are suffering I am trying to correlate reports from various users. from psychoneuroses, and the physicians and their There seems to be no doubt that inoculation does assistants are seldom able to give the time that such protect, but what dose is needed to give absolute cases require to ensure satisfactory results. Many protection has yet to be determined. I am. Sir. vours faithfullv. neurotics are with ditliculty persuaded to attend these clinics because of their connexion with
a
mental
hospital,
and
ance
upon persons minor disorders but
Hayle, Cornwall,
W. H. PALMER.
March ISth.
PUBLIC HEALTH Medical Members of L.C.C. Committees AT the last meeting of the London County Council the personnel of the various standing committees was the subject of recommendations from the general purposes committee. Medical members of the Council have been nominated to serveon the following committees :Entertainments: : Dr. S. McClements. Establishme?tt Miss E. Rickards (chairman). Fire Brigade and _llcciz Draiitage :Dr. McClements. Hospitals and Medical 8erl’Ìces: : Dr. C. W. Brook, Dr. S. Monckton Copeman, Mr. Somerville Hastings (chairman), Dr. S. V’. Jeger, Dr. F. Barrie Lambert, Miss Rickards, Dr. Henry Robinson, with the addition of Mr. H. L. Eason, not a member of the Council. Housing and Public Health :Dr. J. A. Gillison. 31eittal Hospitals : Dr. Brook and Dr. Robinson. Pa1’liamentary:Dr. Jeger. Public ÅssiHtance: : Dr. Barrie Lambert. Public ControlDr. Bernard Homa. Toiun Planning :Dr. Gillison. TFet-e of the Bh’H : Dr. Brook (chairman).
Modernisation of Darenth At a recent meeting of the London County Council estimate was approved of expenditure amounting to more than E300,000 on the training colony for mental defectives at Darenth. Designed originally to accommodate children, its use for this purpose an
has long been decreasing owing to the diminution in the number of trainable defective children for whom the L.C.C. has to provide institutional care. The accommodation is now to be readjusted to meet the demand for beds for adult mental defectives ; the number of these beds is to be increased from 1054 to 1518. At the same time the ward units will be reduced in size, the day-room space will be increased, and out-of-date structural details modernised. The plan also includes a new nurses’ home and a separate villa for 64 intractable female
patients. Safe Milk at L.C.C.
Hospitals
Several committees of the L.C.C. have been conthe report of the Economic Advisory Council on cattle diseases which was published about a year ago. In several ways this report touches closely on the work of the mental hospitals committee to whom the main question of interest raised by the report is whether pasteurisation should be enforced or whether the aim of milk producers should be to establish and maintain a clean herd. Experience of sampling and veterinary inspection of herds over many years has forced the L.C.C.’s medical officer to the conclusion that in spite of such measures it is
sidering
under
present
circumstances
impossible
to
ensure a
tubercle-free milk supply even from tuberculintested cows. The mental hospitals committee is therefore constrained to admit that the only sensible