Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 4 December 1949 — Page 33
learn responsi-
Drop Leaf Table, 49.95
"|
Features—S ports
Section Three
Surgery Puts M. Longcliff State Hospital Inmates Aided by New Type of Operation
'Photos and Story By VICTOR PETERSON THE HIDEOUS SHADOWS across the. lives of In-. diana’s ‘mentally ill today are receding before brillignt
lights in surgery.
Results of the first brain operations in state mental
Hospital, Logansport. Since July 1, seven frontal lobotomies have
been performed on some of the most tragically ill, The delicate operation in the forepart of the brain severs connecting fibers which hold the patient In an emotional grip, slowly squeezing him to death. Once confined to barren rooms for their own protection and the safety of others, the seven today roam wards with freedom or convalesce happily in bed. In time, most of them will be discharged, ‘Tomorrow four more will un+ dergo surgery. An additional 34 have been screened and await their turn on the table. Permission for operation has been secured from relatives.
THIS BURST of activity exploded with the appointment in March of Dr. John Larson, father of the lie detector, former professor at Johns Hopkins and recent director of the Arizona State Hospital where he revolutionized treatment. With Dr. Larson, I toured Longeliff. As we walked, he talked. “An institution should be a place of treatment, not one where the sick are sent to wait for death. Sixty per cent of these committed should be discharged with proper treatment. Another 20 per cent, the harmless senile, also should be released,” he said, “We're coming to that in American mental hospitals today, and surgery is one of the modern methods.” » » .
WHILE NOT a last resort, the brain operation usually waits .. until other procedures show no improvement in the patient. Some respond to shock, others to insulin, penicillin, hydro-therapy or psychiatric analysis. We left the wards where the
Institutions are walking, living records at Longcliff State
= Dr. John Larson «+. Longcliff superintendent.
harmless dwell. Unlocking a door, checking on entry to be sure it was locked again, Dr. Larson said: “Here are the worst cases, From here came ere came the ones we
Surgeons and nurses hover over a Longcliff patient on the operating table. Scenes like this will be repeated often in the future as more Recu
Eifianssolis
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1949
frontal lobotomies are performed in hope of bringing relief and cure to the afflicted.
have operated on. Look for yourself.” Long raws of stripped rooms stretched either side of the hall, A babbling, shouting, frightening chorus greeted the ear. Some paced the tiny cells; some beat on walls, some huddled on the concrete floor, ~ - » * “THESE ONCE were considered hopeless,” Dr. Larson said. “Give them anything they can get their hands on and you chance suicide or homicidal attacks. “Now 1 want to show you Bill, He came fi came from here, one of
the worst-—assaultive, tive, potentially Bill met us at the door of his comfortably furnished room with a big smile and a cheerful, “Howdy, Doc,” No tenseness lined his face, no frightened look flashed in his eyes, He talked clearly of his” wife's vieit, his home, his great feeling of relief from overwhelming emotion. “You'll be going home soon, Bill,” and Dr. Larson said in an aside, “I've seen the day it took 12 to hold him when disturbed.”
combaJH p——
sw » THE FRONTAL lobotomy is the most conservative operation
in surgery of the mentally ill, It nearly always provement. If not, no harm has been done the individual. Those who are panicky, fearful, suffer ‘delusions are the best bets for change. The depressed, suicidal, homicidal, have a fair chance of aid while those gripped with obsessions are hopeful cases. The operation does not repair brain damage. Tt cuts off the piling up of further destruction which eventually leads to death. Once the great tension releases under the surgeon's knife, the effect often can be noticed immediately the the patient
-resuits in im=—
come thetic. Then begins rahabilitation, pointed to release of the individual if possible. The only outward sign of change, other than release
from tension, is a somewhat lethargic attitude. © Emotional
from under the anes-
responses may be vivid but
they lack depth, evaporate quickly. Earlier cases have shown some who“ ¥ilered no brain damage have gone on to graduate from college, achieve a successful business career. rv » .
“WE MAY be too stringent on requirements for | the opera-
‘Editorials
IEEE EEE EERE EE
Politics Sissssennne
straint, Once he wa
tion, but right now we are mov-
ing at our peak capacity. I have doubled the number of doctors, secured outside aid of others and more than tripled the corps of registered nurses. We could do more,” Dr. Larson said. Descerit on Longeliff by the
_ new superintendent wet off a
volcanié. explosion. He person. ally screened the institutions 2220 patients. By June he had found 560 ready to be furloughed, 500 shock treatment, 251 insulin, 250 pen. 1cillin, another 250 operations.
Note To Hartford, ( Conn.—So You Think You Have Pre
Miss SME
Fin nce
HERE ARE some of Indianapolis’ prettiest office girls. The Times is publishing them for the benefit of the people of
Whitaker
Hartford, Conn. ...
Household
Band Leader Vaughn Monroe . . . Singer Nelson Eddy". . . and the editors of PARADE Magazine.
Miss Phyllis VV Te Bell Telephone
Indiana
Mr. Monroe’ and Mr. Eddy have claimed Hartford as “the city with the most beautiful _Birls, "In an attempt 1 to support
Miss
Mar
United Home
the Monroe-Eddy opinion, PARADE Magazine sent a photogTapher Into Hartford's many
Co
te Insurance
1
insurance offices to photograph that city’s “prettiest” girls. Hartford's “prettiest” are shown in PARADE Magazine
Miss Ruth Reynolds
o with this edition of The Sunday Times. Here are some of ours. Now turn to PARADE Maga-
Trailing Woman On Shopping Trip Is Just Too Much For Member of
BY CLIFF THURMAN I FOLLOWED A woman, Through the crush, rush and hurry of downtown. Indianapolis 1 played the combined roll of a shadowing detective and a Peeping Tom for more than three hours. I am battered and bruised. My feet ache and my feelings are hurt hut I accomplished my purpose, I krow what Mrs. Average Shopper buys ror Christmas. I know where and how she duys it. I also know something of the trials and tribulations of salés people in the stores.. Oh, Boy.
/
I picked her out of hundreds of women I saw dashing across Méridian at Washington 8t. I liked the determined, purposeful way she walked And the pleasant look on her face. Here is a woman, I thought, who knows what she's doing. She'll get things done. n ” » I WAS never -more mistaken in my life. My lady of the determined walk and pleasant face took me on a wild goose chase that would equal any fox hunt old England ever \ ‘itnessed. I almost lost a leg in the revolving door of one of the stores as 1 assumed my role of
detective and took out after the woman. She charged through the crowds like a Notre Dame ruliback-—1 really enjoyed the sort of interference she ran for me. } 1 had the -sénsation of skidding tires when she suddenly stopped where they sell men's wear. She'd seen a tie. My heart beat in profound sympathy for some poor soul ds she fondled some of the wildest, loudest creations I have ever seen, I needn't have worried because she didn’t buy one, After a good 15 minutes of careful examination ghe announced to
-
a bewildered clerk and to~the world in general. “Nape, guess not, Too much, not worth it" Te om» WE SAILED ON, then, in a sort of loping dog trot to a =counter- where woollen hosiery was on display. Here we looked at length at any number of pairs, 1 deduced that whoever was in her mind hdd awfully big feet. After working down the counter and handling various and sundry patterns the lady made a purchase. It was the three-for-a-dollar type that had to be dug out from, beneath
“the counter. beamed. - I could see the clerk get red behind the ears. I would swear he was sort of hissing when he turned on that automatié smile. » » ~ MY EADY was a little, tiny bit dishonest, too. 1. hate to mention it but. I found out at - the perfume bar, She stood around a -considerable time sniffing at this and smelling of that. There were a lot of “Ohs, Ahs and Ooos” and some frowning when she beard the prices. The dishonesty came in when
“A boX, please,” she I saw her keep fumbling with
her purse. I thought for sure she was going to swing with one of the pretty bottles but she didn’t do that at all, She simply fished: dut TWO handkerchiefs and “accidentally” spilled just a wee drop on both, The sales girl smiled when the lady told her ghe wouldn't be buying any today. 8he was much easier to trail after we left the perfume bar. ” » » : UP THE ESCALATOR we went on a purely personal misgion. My lady tried on fur coals
. Radio Station WIRE
just” sort of
RY Miss
fr. 8 lobalamy, fis no needs re« perating from y Patiant jongae:
pc a
over 4 form en. An apttain
Ruth | |
Indiana CII a el)
. Datunses - the
1
Photos by Lloyd B. Walton, Times Staff Photographer
zine and compare these Indianapolis girls with Hartford's claim as the “city with the most beautiful girls. »
Editor's note:
Times, and tell us what you think),
Weaker, or Male; Sex
for 35 minutes while I hovered in the department feeling sort of silly.’ I never was mich at home on a ready-to-wear floor or whatever you call it. ) She tried on five coats, one of them three times. I think she must have Hked it a little.
She. twisted, turned and walked before a mirror. Did all sorts of acrobatics like lfting her
arms, one at a’ time and both.
together while she watched how hig the bottom cameé up. “I'l have to loék around,” she said. 3
WE CHARGED east of Washe ington 8t.
, Write PA= RADE Magazine, care of The °
I was puffing up ‘a storm
when we wound up in a meat market but was determined to keep up my shadowing act just a few more minutes. I
“Two pounds of pork chops,*. :
she ‘ordered In a crisp voice, “and make sure they ars all lean, center cut.” I was relieved to des 50 enough ianed S 30 pay Gosh, my fee and I didn’t od * chance to buy & thing, GE
eh » 4
4