The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-07-17

those normal at birth, is revealed in the re-
Ruptured and Crippled. In one of its re-
cent annual reports, attention is called to
5021 new cases, of which total only 2l2
were deformed at birth, and the rest of the
cases in many instances due to contagion.
DR.. Arthur ]. Gillette, as surgeon in
charge of the pediatric hospital of Mime
sofa, in one of his reports says: "Any
physician will testify to the immediate re-
lief from excruciating pains of hip and
joint diseases when the weight and pulley
or brace is applied, and how soon the
jerking and painful respiration of the child,
suffering from hunchback "a tuberculous
disease of the vertebrae) is relieved on ap-
plication of the plaster cast or the spinal
BRACE The child often drops into peace
full slumber after the appliance has been
adjusted.
The country doctor is particularly ham
pered and utterly unable to furnish such
sufferers relief, because of his lack of expen-
sive orthopedic equipment. Every brace
must be especially made to fit the partic-
ular deformity.
Even the progressive state of Minnesota
has no place for incurables of this kind,
lacking the accommodations and funds,
while the states Of New York and Massach-
usetts, where this work is carried on to a
large extent, do not begin to be able to fill
the requirements.
The hospitals to be built under the
George w. Sweeney plan will all be locat-
ed outside of cities, somewhere in rural
places, and will all have large sun parlors.
Here the patients will be free from the
noise, dust and smoke of the cities.
The idea of Mr.. Sweeney is to combine
in these state hospitals the results of the
successful experiments worked out in this
country and abroad as to the handling of
deformed children. Munich was the first
city to approach the problem, intelligently
doing so in the 1905, but American COM
munities have been slow to follow.
Mr.. Sweney's proposition is an econom-
ic one, pure and simple. 1t is not a mat
ter of sentiment, or of loose and deadly
charity. Society has no right to let de-
formities impare economic usefulness, if
there is ghost of chance to establish the
child on sound and normal basis.
AT present, almost throughout the coun-
try, the plight of the unmoneyed cripple
is hopeless. The long and tedious treat
ments by skilled operators are in most
cases entirely out of reach. They are
hopeless burdens to themselves and to So
cety. Restoration of the unfit to normal
is the demand of the times. This is more
important than strings of Libraries or heavi-
ly endowed universities. Philanthropists
have been blind to one of the most impor-
tant demands of the times. Thus argues
George w. Sweeney. Every state has its
jails and penitentiaries, and these are begin
ming to make an attempt to restore to nor
NAL the moral deformities of convicted of
tenders. But hardly hand is being raised
to remove physical deformities of innocent
children.
New York and Chicago are working out
the idea of special schools for deformed
children, so that normal children need not
be exposed to contagion from these tuber-
cufous influences. Special rooms and
classes are set aside in these cities for such
children, who are also furnished with trans
portation to and from the school.
Mr. sweeney is conservationist, and a
novel sort of mediator. He resembles
Robert Mantell, and is an actor, but not
of the theatrical kind. He is an actor in
the histrionic stage. He is playing the
role of helping to save the lives of the
country's children. He is the tallest man
in every crowd. But the stature of this
gentle giant does not stand in the way of
the ordinary efficiency expert overlooks en-
tirely 1t is a curious thing that the tallest
man in the crowd should have chosen a
career that takes him constantly among the
smallest mites of humanity. He is known
to the medical profession in many states
He is pointed out as the man who is telling
the country what to do for its deformed
children.
The middle initial of George w. Sven
ey's name stands for "Washington. :"
That may account for the fact that his first
professional impulse was boyish patriotic
one. AS youth, he was hot-footing it
after an appointment to the Naval Academy
- An,,Dol;c xuhoro ho ptod RI LOT ITpclo
Sam perfect him in the barbarous art OF
blowing up the fleets of our national foes
But his father, in his day one of Ohio S
noted surgeons, dissuaded him from this
plan, and the son finally chose the career OF
nf lifo I'D