The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-02-21
A WORTHY WORK

A Star reporter had the pleasure OF
a visit to the Marion County Hospi-
tai, the other day, and brief but
comprehensive survey of this vitality
important institution.
1t is privilege to visit the hospi-
tai, to meet the earnest and efficient
superintendent and her assistants, to
see the evidence of the good they are
doing In their work of mercy, and
last but not least to take a look al. it's
beautiful and salubrious surround
ings. The hospital is always pretty
well filled. and the nurses have about
as much as they can do. The fame
of the institution has spread all over
this part of the state, and the first
thought of friends of desperately sick
or badly wounded is to bring them to
the Marion County Hospital if they
are strong enough to stand the jour-
ney. a9 9eIs
This particular visit was made by
the Star man to obtain an idea of the
work the state board of health is do
ing to care for and cure diseased or
crippled children, whose parents or
guardians have not the means to
have them given treatment.
This work, which has been carried
on upon a small scale for some years,
. has had a strong impetus at the hands
of DIR. Cox, the new head Of the state
board Of health, who is inclined to use
all the means at his command for
this purpose, and is receiving efficient
aid from good many physicians in
various parts of the state.
The Star is not much given to the
advocacy of the state aiding the indi-
vidual. Such aid tends to atfophy the
faculty of sef-dependence. However,
it seems good sense and justice to
make an exception in such cases. A
strong and healthy child is an asset
to the state; a weak and sick1y or
crippled one liability, II the state
sees to it, that a child is in good phys
zeal condition, so much greater is the
chance that the child win grow into a
strong and useful man or woman, and
so much less the chance that the said
child will be burden on the state in
old age; and people who are burdens
on their relatives or friends are also
burdens on the state. And anything
that enables the individual to better
fill his or her place in life is a greater
help to individualism.
There are now about dozen wards
of the state at the Marion County
Hospital, beside several who have
been discharged either entirely cured
or much benefited in the last few
months; this hospital being chosen as
the center for the work in this part Of
the state some time last summer.
Most of the patients are little chill
dren, and diseased spines are the
principal trouble. We all know what
a diseased spine used to mean to
child. Itmeant years Of hopeless and
generally helpless suffering, with no
relief but death, unless the child had
parents able to employ the most skill
ed of specialists, who were not al
ways successful in making cure.
In the past few months, the state
of Florida has given a number of
children treatment that a multimill-
ionaire couldn't have bought for his
child not many years ago, cured some,
opened the gate of hope to OTHERS and
greatly alleviated the suffering of
yet others.
Two little boys, suffering from
Pitts disease of the spine, now in the
hospital, are showing good results of
treatment. Had the state not taken
charge of these little chaps they
would have become hunchbacks. These
boys, each about six years old, were
strapped TO steel frames, in which
they lived for many weeks until the
crumblihg bones in their spinal col
umns could harden. During this time,
aside from their confinement, they
were comfortable, as the frames pre-