Norwich bulletin., 1920-07-01

coyery and restoration to lie fullest lcs- sible usefulness is interes. nsly dessFls'ea by Capt John H. Evans, NJ. F.. lof- merIy of this city, who want .1,to the medical corps during the war and ls now stationed at the U. 5. Army etehsrs q Hospital, No. Il, Foxhills, Statsn tslan'' N Y.
 At the present time the hosyeM $ run
 ming to about it's full ca1act vol sug patients whose care requires tof.e .,
 so officers. 490 nurses, an1 50o esDis'e men In army hospital work eaca nos
 pital is in reality group ol spcssa .-s.s'
 each treating the patients in one partic- | ular class of work. Dr. Evans IS " the surgical department in the aepAl ment of infected surgery, having ehsise of a special sort of treatment known is | tbe Carrell-Dakin method and dealing ] exclusively with infected sahsho' wounds involving the bones- :, Soldiers in the army hospitals now are men wounded at the least more 1hah . {, year ago and many of them as ione as 1 eighteen months ago, so that IL can 1 seen that the cases now under treatfeAs vet are obviously extremely difficult ana hard cases. As a class the patients at l Foxhills hospital represent the few cases 1 that many hospitals have failed to cure. \ Dr Evans own patients have been con tinuously in hospitals since Chae.eau- Thierry, the Angonne, St. Mihlel ana oth- CT battle dates. .4. II After describing the regular little cts II that the hospital community makes up |t Dr. Evans goes on to describe enc par ticularly interesting side of the worA taken up. that of vocational training as The army work that is carried out here other than the treatment of SICK anu wounded, the other than medical Wofh so to speak is largely of an educationai and reconstruction nature. This hespltal, as I have so often said, is almost pureiy surgical. having to do with war wounos- 4s we all know this kind of injury IS us11ally more or less crippling, ana q. the hest men must be sent back to clVli life more or less incapacitated TOT tnell normal mode of life It is well known that the government pays these wounueu sal q | men what amounts to pensions III pIo- q portion to the amount of injury ana us i real interference in their life, but it does a much more than this. It educates ana a | re -educates them ,, S After disabled men obtain their d1s charge from the hospital and the aHnlS II the vocational edueatien board carries or 4 l the educational work that is commences A in the hospital, while the man IS sun q soldier and a patient And 1t IS apeo a tbe part of the educational work don sst here while men are in hospital that S will briefly describe.
 % First many technical occupations ar % taught, such as wood earVlng' teie q oraDhy. all kinds of drawing, mechan q ics of various kinds, gas engineering 1el # fee work and so on for an almost un # limited list. and education in nearly al N inc common occupations and leading II q te many of the professions, is aVallaol # to patients. Patients with detormiue' 'A paralysis, atrophy, etc, in addition F the usual message, electricity ana o~'he ~ V forms of physiotheraphy, are encourase 7 to take up definite and carefully stuo 1& jed occupations that by bringing into us ' long disused nerves and muscles, Will at ;% as curative agents even if the occupa # tion is one not especially suited to tn # particular individuals requirements 2# civil life To achieve the tWo-told pul 8N nose of assisting in the cure or patlen. s& and at the same time educating him @ 1 a line of work that best fits his disabi # itv. and that will furnish him gainf' # occupation in civil life. the so-called .ol M portunity school Iunctionates. Tn K school is offered by men from a s branches of the service infantry, avi' 8R ton. artillery, etc., Men who are espe r iallv qualified as teachers in their glvf M line. and who are assisted by corr M of enlisted men equally carefully seiec s ed. Patients who are ambulatory go 8 these various and varied schools in clas # es just as they would in grade
 | school. high school, or college rho S with little or no previous eoucatloh d M taught the primary subjects and ITO Fl there on up to the equivalent Of cohe;
 l and technical school courses. Patlen r confined to bed have teachers who go # the wards and give them personal tention until such time as they can
 to the classes The scope of this work @ almost unlimited and one will find
 any ward patients learning readin M arithmetic, etc, or basket work, toy ma E ing, beadwork, to those having cours 34 in wireless telegraplly algebra, SpaGs M geometry, shorthand, mecnahical dra IF ing, etc. etc.
 The ingenuity seen in supplying D
 patients with teaching material is qui # wonderful. Little looms not over
 inches square are furnished bed patier
 who wish to learn weaving. rug ma S ing, etc Looms so tiny they are easl s1s "a rried in on hand, and are operated sa hand on the patients lap. Bead wo
 and basket weaving are popular pastin
 that educate and exercise both bra
 and hands Various applied branch z of art are taught, poster making, ilit
 trating, etc.
 The education work commenced in . wards and classes while the soldier is 4 patient is carried on to it's completi
 l after the man leaves the hospital, M the vocational education board. It is 3 policy of the government to send the IE wounded men back to civil life. not or
 with their compensation in money
 the injury they have received, which ' best must always be small and more
 less inadequate. but equipped in [
 best possible way to meet the demar
 of civil life in an efficient manner
 & spite of the handicap of cripling W
 wound. To do this requires an immel
 amount of study of the individual, .s previous education temperament, futl
 environment. and his physical conditi
 Ii is quite apparent at the start u
 many men can be discharged with' :=. much additional education, if they hs
 been well ducated along some line u