 Foundations of physical and mental health are laid in infancy. A child is born with its lungs and digestive tract free of germs. But as it starts life in the outside world, it admits thousands of them. The newborn baby has very little permanent immunity or resistance to disease. But in fighting and conquering infection, resistance is developed and strengthened. An important phase of the building of physical health has begun. It's the same with mental health. Beginnings are made by tackling and overcoming small difficulties, such as learning to sit up. Little Bill Brown's wise and understanding mother gives him a sense of security without which these first attempts cannot be made. Even here she allows the child to develop self-reliance. As the problems get tougher, his ability to deal with them increases. Bill Brown is now two years old. He begins to meet small frustrations and deprivations. But having already built up a reserve of inner strength and security, he's able to handle his disappointments without too much trouble. Brown runs into aggression and learns to resist it. He learns cooperation and teamwork. He competes with others and develops self-confidence. A wholesome and stable family relationship strengthens his sense of security. His natural striving to find an important place for himself moves in a useful and constructive direction. He develops healthy attitudes toward responsibility and authority. As he learns to do things for himself, he loses the helpless feeling he had as a baby. He still needs his mother's love, but it's beginning to develop into a give-and-take relationship between two people. Bill Brown has acquired a sound foundation of emotional and mental health. The outlines of his personality are already pretty well set. When he grows up, he won't remember the details of his early experiences, but deep down in something we call the unconscious mind, they will be preserved and they will influence his actions throughout the rest of his life. But not every child gets off to such a good start. Joe Smith has a mother who is over-anxious, afraid to let him expose himself to the smallest danger. As a result, instead of getting over his early fears, he tends to hold on to them and exaggerate them. Joey might pick up a runny nose. So he's deprived of the chance to learn how to get along with others. He lacks inner security and is defenseless against aggression. A toy taken away from him becomes a tragic crisis. His mother's consolation merely increases his dependence upon her. By now, his timidity and fear of getting hurt have become fixed. The ridicule of his playmates only makes matters worse. Joe Smith grows up into an oversensitive young man who makes few with any friends, doesn't go out with girls and generally keeps to himself. He is almost completely dependent upon his small family circle for all human contacts. Of course, this needn't prevent Joe from being a good student. After graduation, he may even get along quite well if he's lucky enough to get a job where he can avoid too much contact with strangers and where the strains and stresses are reduced to a minimum. But nonetheless, Joe Smith is a borderline case in terms of emotional stability. His mental health is a fairly deep shade of gray. In our society, Joe Smith is by no means a rarity. Today the medical profession's greatest problem is the large number of personality disorders. In private practice, 50 to 75% of all patients suffer from some degree of nervous, emotional, or mental disturbance. Frequently physical symptoms are an expression of deep-seated emotional troubles. Of hundreds of thousands of hospital beds in the United States, more than half are occupied by patients with serious mental illnesses. Medical statistics indicate that in the United States, out of a total population of more than 139 million, one out of every 18 people, or more than 7.5 million, will at some time be treated in a mental hospital. A far greater number will suffer from less serious emotional illnesses. From this population, the American people, the personnel of the army is selected. Some people may think that the neuropsychiatric problem of the army can be solved at the induction stage by thorough screening. But to eliminate all potential breakdowns, it would be necessary to reject everyone with any trace of emotional or mental illness, and there would be no army at all. Therefore, the medical department, using individual psychiatric interviews, eliminates only those who have little chance of withstanding the strains of army life, those who are already casualties of civilian life.