NERVES AND SUICIDE

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 April 1932, Page 7

NERVES AND SUICIDE

“AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE.”

LONDON, February 9.

Sir William Arbuthnot Lane presided yesterday at an “At Home” given by Mrs Dixon-Davies at 6, South-wick-crescent for the purpose of voicing the aims of a committee which has been formed for the purpose of founding a nursing home for sufferers from neurasthenia.

The Chairman said that there was no intention that this home should make a profit, but merely its running expenses, and it would carry out work far more valuable to the present-day community than that done with radium. As a matter of fact, radium might be a great source of danger to the patient, especially if a stray particle entered into the medulla or any other organ. It had been computed that 5,000 people per year committed. suicide from nervous trouble, and twenty times that number attempted to commit suicide- A common cause of nervous maladies was that people were poisoned by bad food, bad conditions, and bad habits, and illness in such cases ought to be punished- Illness simply meant filth and dirt, and he wished people would bear that in mind. Dr A. Graham-Stewart said it would be well if these cases were less reported. Suicide was infectious, and people who were predisposed and read of suicide were apt to follow suit. - Dr Hopewell Ash said nothing was more terrifying to such “nerve” sufferers than the policeman or the police court. At the home they were establishing they wanted no “stunts” and no psycho-analytical or hypnotic experiments. Miss Grace Cope said that in the ideal nursing home she had in mind there should certainly be a “disgruntled” room. Everybody knew that when a man got excited and overstrained he wanted to “throw things about.” Well, in a “disgruntled” room there should be furniture and things for him to deal with, and when he came out of it he would feel better. (Loud laughter.)