Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-11-10
THE HASKIN LETTER
BIZ FREDERIC!
HASKW
WORK AS A CURE.

In the year in which the Public Health
service has been giving this kind of
| treatment, it has found the effect on
morale to be no small part of the value
of the work done.
| The Public Health Service has in it's
charge all the ex-soldiers who need
treatment for physical disability. When
these men were in the army hospitals
they were under orders and could not go
home or back to camp until discharged
| by the surgeon. Now, the men in care
and have the right of civilians to leave
the hospital even against the doctors ad-
vice (that is, unless they are mental pa
tients).
Some of the men have been leaving
sooner than they should because they
tired of the monotony of hospital life, or
because they thought they could improve
| as rapidly at home or even at work.
Something to do" in these cases has
proved valuable first aid toward keep
ing them contented.
Work Makes Men Contented
In one hospital, it is reported, where
there were 392 men, 263 were taking
occupational therapy, and 129 were not.
! Of the 2S3 only two left the hospital
! before they were discharged by the med
ical officer, while of the other l29
SO either deserted or left the hospital
against the advice of the physicians. OF
course, it is not fair to say from this that
occupational therapy held 263 of these
men, or that the So would have stayed
If they had taken it. But the records
: sent in each week from the public health
service hospitals tell an unvarying story
of increasing interest on the part of the
men who have a chance to try the work
cure.
Over 5000 patients, or about one
third of those in 45 government hospi-
tails, are taking occupational therapy
now under the supervision of 250 recon-
struction aides, and a few technicians.
There are six more public health sew
ice hospitals which have not started the
treatment, because competent aides are
scarce, and the government is taking no
others. It's regulations demand that to
be an aide a woman must be graduate
of a college or q normal or art school,
and she must be an experienced teacher
of arts and crafts. or of academic and
commercial subjects, or III case appii-
cants are not able to show graduation
from an institution of recognized stand
ing, they must show three years tram
ing, including at least 200 hours training
in the type of work they expect to do
in service hospitals. Applicants with
these qualifications have been hard to
get, but now that occupational therapy
is on the road to becoming recognized
institution in hospitals, girls are look
ing upon it as a profession. The Teach
ers' college of Columbia University and
Milwaukee-DoWner college recognize
occupational therapy as major course.
and some hospital training schools are
giving courses to fit girls for this sort
of work. The public health service be-
lieves that eventually the work cure
with competent aides and simple equip
ment viii be a part of the plan in every
progressive hospital.
One point which is in a way import
ant is the disposal of the articles made
by patients. According to the present
arrangement in the public health hos
pitfalls when patient makes two articles
one is claimed by the government ard
the other is his to sell or keep. BY
turning back to the hospital to be sold,
the workman pays for the material given
him. The work cure is not primarily
commercial. vet the sale of some of the
crafts-work IS desirable if only because
of the psychological effect on the pas
tients. A steady market for the hos
pital work has not yet been established,
though it IS believed that there is de-
mand for a good grade of beautiful
crafts work, and many of the hand-carV-
ed boxes. woven table runners, and In
dian baskets made in the hospitals are
beautiful. One connoisseur IN Indian
relics was strongly impressed by the ex-
cellence of the raffia baskets copied by
natipnfs from good Indian designs