The Washington times., 1918-08-28
BATTLE-WRECKED
MEN MADE OVER

ATLANTA, Aug. 2S.-Some years
ago DR.. Bergonie. of Paris. member OF
the French Academy of Medicine. In
vented an apparatus which became
known as the Obesity machine" It
was a device to reduce body weight
by exercising the muscles with cleo
tricity.
Being easy to taxi re Eergonie
method attained rIs-J popularity
among people OF wealth. especially
American. millionaires. Stout dow
ayers, too lazy to roll and too greedy
to diet seized the opportunity
to rid themselves OF their Cat by sit
ting calmly in a comfortable chair
while electricity energized their
habby muscles and sent the perspira-
ton rolling OF them in streams.
Fine For FinaneIers.
Plump nnanciers. apprehensive Of
heart failure II they played eighteen
holes of golf, combated rheumatism
and gout by Bergoniezing themselves.
1t was more expensive. but 1t was
much easier to surrender to an :nstru-
ment which made the muscles act
than 20 drive the muscles to action
with ones own spirit and flesh.
Today the Bergonie method Is be
ing successfully used by Uncle Sam
to rebuild soldiers who have been
sent back, crippled and broken, from
France. 1t is making strong men out
OF paralytics. 1t Is curing that mys-
terious and dread malady. "shell
shock" Bergonie himself Is doing
wonderful things in connection with
reconstruction work in France, but
1t Is in America that his one-time
anti-fat apparatus. refined and am
pliied by other experts, has become
a godsend to men broken on the
wheel OF battle.
Thus far IL has been installed at
only one spot in America-General
Hospital No. 6. at Fort Mcpherson.
1t has been highly commend
ed to the War Department. II was
installed at Fort Mcpherson by di-
rection Of the commandant. Col T. s.
Bratton, by Capt H. c. Westervelt, a
Pittsburgh specialist. who used IL in
his practice before he entered the
service. He is in charge OF the hos
pitafs physio-therapy clinic.
~ EA18Nlmc Hu8lcs
As you enter the clinic you find |
yourself In q room such as you would |
ind IN any one OF a hundred hos |
bare, clean; white
tented shelters at one side to screen |
the patients while unrobing: white
clad physicians and attendants NOV
ing about, with only an occasional I
gleam OF brown puttees or leggings |
beneath their skirts to indicate that /
this is a military and not a civilian
hospital Outside. sitting on the
porch in the southern sunshine, are |
the patients, drawn from France and /
many in overseas service caps. others
In fioppy campaign hats, all bandaged /
Or walking on crutches or twitching
with tremors caused by shell shock,
yet all smiling, because they know
that just inside the door Uncle Sam
waits to do his best for them.
Inside you are first attracted by an
unusual sound for a hospitaI-the
whine OF a phonograph. Placed be-
hind a screen in a corner. IT Is kept
going with anything from
Melody in F. to George
Cohan's "Over There" A wounded
soldier is less liable to brood over his
when his brain IL keeping
-ipie to the strains of my Sweety."
Moreover. since she'll shock and .ther
iiseases trearsd here ar. in no small
Measure psycholc gical, t." success OF
he treatment depends no little en-
keeping the patient from dwelling on
he "impossihIlity" OF his being cured
While the curing process Is going on
Wherefore the phonograph.
There are different kinds Of
What do YOU think Of