The farmer and mechanic., 1915-09-07
NATIONAL MUSEUM
IS MADE HOSPITAL
Former Quarters Of Old Mas
terS In Munich Transformed
To Meet Wars Needs

Munich. Germany. Sept Amer
lean tourists who have visited the Ia
"a rian ca pital. and who have worship
ped at the artistic shr5nes in the Ia
nous National Museum. probably
would be shocked L. find the former
quarters OF old masters now trans
formed into q huge orthopedic depart
ment Tor treating crippled limbs. and
70 see almost naked soldiers bathing
in the fountains Of the wonderful gar
dens. and taking sun baths and gym
ma site exercises on the lawns
The National Museum however IS
not the only Munich building To have
undergone great changes The mag
nllcent new custom house is now a
hospital In the rooms where former
~ baggage and freight were inspected
hundreds of wounded soldiers now lie
on cots. In the office Of the collector
Of customs surgeons sleep, and in the
transfer department there are rows
upon rows OF medicaments.
The availability of the customs
house as a hospital, and especially as
q sort OF transfer station for wounded
| soldiers was apparent almost as soon
| as the wounded began to come back
from the battlefelds. Trains run right
| to one side of the huge buildings, and
! soldiers not only can be unloaded
| from them as easily as baggage but
may also be transferred to other trains
| for other parts OF Bavaria with a
| minimum amount of trouble. and to
street cars for other hospitals in Mu-
Mich.
| The amount of customs inspection
that is now necessary in Munich is APP
proXimately nil, so that ii was essen
TALLY simple matter TO transform the
charac cter of the building. None in
the whole city has so perfectly fitted
7 h.a 1iy-py y,fS Of fol fAr ir
addition to the splendid facilities for
taking patients right off hospital trains
the rooms are large and airy, and sew
eral Of them are we'll lighted TO serve
as operating rooms.
| Munich, like a dozen other German
cities, has turned its largest industrial
school into a vocational school for
crippled soldiers. The building has d
capacity of several hundred pupils
and all the necessary appliances for
l teaching soldiers new trades, or for
: teaching them how to continue their
. old trade Notwithstanding impaired
faculties.
The vocational school consists rea,
2 ly of three departments. In the frs
wounded soldiers are, so far as II i:
t possible, cured. At least. open wound!
are closed, and they are given The
5 regular hospital treatment until il /!
definitely established that a stiffenet
leg never VIII become hmDer, or
crushed or smashed arm better.
When his physical status has beer
definitely established the soldier
moves on to the vocational or indus
trial department, where his capa
I bilities and inclinations are studied
Then he goes into the bindery, or Tx
print shop, the carpentry department
or the school Of mechanical arts. /
: for instance his arms and hands arr
r unimpaired he may learn stenoSraphy
. typewriting and bookkeeping.
The third department meantime be
. | comes interested in him, and, befor'
T he is ready to leave the institution. Sc
r cures for him a position in which h
0 may earn at least a portion Of tn
wage that he was capable Of befor
j going into the war.
:. Munich. as the capital and larges
t ! city in Bavaria, has quite naturall,
e the largest percentage OF BaVarlal
wounded to care for With every re
source, financial, social and ecOnomt
r cal, she set out at the start OF the va
q to see to it that no German cit
should surpass her in the excellenc
Il Of the care accorded the wounded.