The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-06-26

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Up to date SO hospitals have been
designated as institutions to function
in physical reconstruction, among
these being the institution at Fort
Smelling. When a patient at any of
these institutions is able TO do any
sort of work, whether bedside class
room, shop or outside work, the war
surgeon of the hospital sends "thera-
peutic prescription" to the education
al department. This prescription
gives the nature of the disability, the
probable length of time the patient
will remain in the hospital. the kind
and purpose Of the work needed, the
number of hours per day TO be devot-
ed to the work, the results expected
after treatment is completed and any
additional data that will help the ed
ucational officer to give the proper ad-
vice and make the proper assignment.
With the therapeutic prescription
and the survey of the patient before
! him the educational officer assigns
the man to such work as will keep
him happily employed, give him the
proper training in some line directly
concerned with his former or future
occupation. In many cases all these
needs are met by the same line of
work. Frequently men take two or
more courses, often combining aca-
demic study and shop practice.
/ I'll.
| have special work peculiar to the
/ types of cases for which they are es-
tablished. The hospitals for the blind
have certain types of work for which
the sight is not essential. The suber-
culosis hospitals have a variety Of
very light work adapted to their
needs. The hospitals that have large
numbers of men with injured arms
and legs, such as the hospital at Fort
Smelling, have types of work that help
to bring back the full use of the in
iured limbs or TO prevent their loss
from being a permanent handicap.
Thus provision has been made for all
the different kinds of disabilities pro
uuCed by the war.
Besides the numerous academic and
commercial courses such as English,
mathematics accounting and stenog-
raphy. there are in most of the hos
pitfalls well-equipped shops for print
ing, automobile repairing, shoemak-
ing, carpentry and cabinet making,
jewelry. engraving and machine shop
practice.
In all these plans for the reclama-
tion of disabled men, the ambition has
been not only to cure the men but to
open every possible avenue to re-
munerative employment in civilian
life. To this end close cooperation
has been encouraged and maintained
between the division of physical re-
construction with its work in the hos
pitfalls and the Federal Board of Voca-
tional Education into whose hands the
compensate cases go for further ed
ucation after they have been dis
charged from the military hospitals.
To the Federal Board for Vocation
al Education, with headquarters in
Washington and district offices in IA
different cities of the United States,
congress has delegated the task of the
vocational rehabilitation of disabled
soldiers, sailors and marines after
they are discharged from the service
The Headquarters of the district com
prising Minnesota, North and South
Dakota and Montana, are located in
the Metropolitan Bank building, Min
neapolis. Harry w. Jones of Mime
apolis is the district director and the
headquarters staff includes about 30
advisers and clerks.
The rehabilitation headquarters Of
this district has advisers in each state
of the district. as well as at the Fort
Smelling hospital, and since the time
the armistice was signed has been en-
deavoring to get in touch with all dis
abled service men of this district who
are eligible for retraining by the gov
ernment To date more than $500
disabled soldiers sailors and marines
of the four states have been listed by
district headquarters, the cases OF
many of these have been surveyed, |
more than 100 have been placed IN
training and three disabled service
men have completed their training and
are earning good wages in the occu-
pations for which they qualified by
training.
The work done by the Federal
Board in the way of retraining these
men was designed by the government
for cases of the most serious and per
manent character. The disabled man
to be eligible for this training and sup
port while in training must first have
been discharged from the army, navy
or marine corps; second, his disabiI-
ity must be such that he has been
awarded or is eligible for compen 4 /
ton from the War Risk Insurance bu-
reau.
Upon his discharge from the hos
pital or from the service the perma-
nently or seriously disabled man Is