Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1918-09-12


manned may be restored to their fullest useful
ness. To each will be attached workshops, where
at least the rudments of different trades may be
practiced; gardens and farm land for outdoor
work, and every possible facility for encouraging
the cripple to do his utmost toward self-restora-
ton Here, too, will be conferred the work OF the
Reconstruction eids,' a corps of instructors in
physical training, specially trained for the work
of drilling crippled in the fullest use of their
remaining muscles to the end that they may
exercise their faculties to the utmost. The de-
gree to which the stump of an arm or leg may
become mobile and useful has been carefully cal
culated as a result of French experience; it is
surprising to a sound man to discover how useful
half forearm, for instance, may become. The
corps of reconstruction aids is being recruited
from among men and women instructors in GYM
nastics under the direction of Miss Marguerite
Sanderson of Boston.
The fitting of artificial members to replace miss
ing hands and legs has become almost science
in itself Wonderful results have been achieved
in Europe with marvellous and complicated hand
1nechanisms that enable their wearers to perform
almost miraculous feats. For most crippled sol
diers, however, the simpler forms, variations or
the plain hook or the various forms of clamps for
holding tools, are much more serviceable as work
ing hands A specialized body of surgeons is
studying the whole subject under the direction of
Surgeon General Gorgas, with a view to fitting
every American soldier who may need such arti-
fetal aid with the type best adapted to hia
civilian needs.
The general plan of reconstruction work cons
templates caring for each disabled soldier or
sailor in the reconstruction hospital nearest his
former home. The plan of vocational rehabilita-
ton contemplates training him to do something
as nearly like his former occupation as possible
For instance, journeyman carpenter who has
lost an arm may be trained into a good superin-
.endent of construction. If this can be done by
placing him in a school where he will have an
opportunity to learn how to read bueprints and
understand specifications, such school will be
found So far as possible, existing schools are to
be utilized; most of the large Industrial organiza-
tons already maintain technical schools for their
employees, and these and other similar institu-
tons will be opened to the discharged crippled
soldier And while. the soldier or sailor is under
going such re-education he will continue to re-
ceive the disability compensation to which he is
entitled under the war risk insurance act If the
advice of those who have studied European ex-
perience is taken any pension to which he may
~Abe~ entitled is to be based upon the nature and
extent of his injuries and not upon his earning
capacity
Both the reconstruction hospitals and the gem
eral scheme of rehabilitation in all probability
will be open to civilian employees of the govern
nent injured in the discharge of their duty and
under certain restrictions the vocational re-
Mobilization may be made available for any per-
son injured in any civil employment, under condi-
lions to be established by the rehabilitation board.
Out of the emergency of war, therefore, there will
thus develop permanent asset for peace, a long
step toward solving the problem of putting the
industrial cripple as well as the war cripple back
On the pay roll.