No access

Article

Published Online: January 1944

A STUDY OF CASUALTIES OCCURRING IN INSTITUTIONS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH

WALTER W. JETTER and ROLLIN V. HADLEYAuthors Info & Affiliations

Publication: American Journal of Psychiatry

Volume 100, Number 4

https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.100.4.506

Get Access

Abstract

A statistical analysis was made of 890 casualties which occurred in mental institutions coming under the jurisdiction of the Department of Mental Health during 1942. Significant observations included:

1. The casualty rate was highest among the aged.

2. The casualty rate was highest in the senile psychoses and lowest in dementia præcox. The incidence was 10 times greater in the senile group than in dementia præcox.

3. The most common causes for injury were slips, stumbles, etc., and these predominated in older patients. The next commonest cause was altercations which occurred in the younger age groups.

4. Two-thirds of the accidents occurred on the wards.

5. The peak of the casualty incidence occurred shortly after rising and appeared related to the routine of rising and preparing for the new day.

6. Resulting from the 890 casualties there were 903 separate injuries recorded, 722 of which were fractures, with 532 involving the extremities, 168 of which were located in the femur. The mortality rate of the latter was in direct proportion to the age of the victim.

Suggested methods for decreasing or preventing casualties were discussed.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

Get Access

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

American Journal of Psychiatry

Volume 100 • Number 4 • January 1944

Pages: 506 - 515

History

Published in print: January 1944

Published online: 1 April 2006

Authors

Details

WALTER W. JETTER

The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, 100 Nashua St., Boston, Mass.

View all articles by this author

ROLLIN V. HADLEY

The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, 100 Nashua St., Boston, Mass.

View all articles by this author

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu.

Format	RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks
Direct importt
Citation style
Style

Copy to clipboard
Tips for downloading citations

View Options

Login options

Already a subscriber? Access your subscription through your login credentials or your institution for full access to this article.

Personal login Institutional Login Open Athens login

Purchase Options

Purchase this article to access the full text.

PPV Articles - American Journal of Psychiatry

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe Now / Learn More

PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5-TR^® library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.

Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).

A STUDY OF CASUALTIES OCCURRING IN INSTITUTIONS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

Get full access to this article