War & the Mind

The war has not bothered epileptics, but has greatly upset soldiers' stomachs. The facts, as recently reported in British medical journals:

> Despite bombings, sirens and frequent routings out of bed, the 450 inmates of the Lingfield Epileptic Colony at Lingfield, Surrey have remained "unperturbed." Many doctors think that epilepsy is brought on by fright, worry, or terrific shock. But Dr. Joseph Tylor Fox, head of the Lingfield colony, reported: "There was no general increase of [epileptic] attacks on days or nights of air activity, nor has any evidence been found of increased fits in individuals." This observation tends to confirm the theory that fits are caused by damage to the brain, not by psychological shock.

> One of the commonest medical causes of discharge from the British Army is peptic ulcers. Most of these are old ulcers. The high incidence of the disease in the Army, said half a dozen doctors in the Lancet and British Medical Journal, is merely a reflection of its prevalence among civilians of military age. In the Army, ulcer sufferers cannot keep comfortable by following delicate diets, but must eat heavy food. Also, fresh fruits and vegetables containing vitamin C, necessary for healing, were quite scarce last winter. That Army ulcers are aggravated by worry or fear, the doctors stoutly denied.

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