Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-15
As ONE WOMAN SEES iT
Private Experimentation and Invest.
ment Pave the Way for Gov
ernmentai ,BenefactIons H.
BY SARAH ID. L0WRIE

T WAS listening to a. very interesting
i Socialist speech the other day atA-of all
places in the world--the ballroom of the
Acorn Cmbl " 'H' " ''o
Club but to a eroup OF persons who had
rented the rooms for a luncheon. ana An A
guest sat back aud took notice.
The speaker recied Oh a list of some score
private Corporations that the Socialist party
planned should sooner or later be taken over
BY the state. - : - G'tI-
u wonders. wondered @ how the state could eyer be
stitntions without the enlighteninx process
of private experimeptstion and inyertment.
After all, the state cannot move any
faster than its slowest. constituent parts.
peccssary or will pay before the state will
foot the bill for IL. And how can you do
that unless you have tried Il and made It
pay? .,-''.".T .. - -
TNHERE is the great matter of social sery-
or the city has provided funds to run the
hospitals, insane wards, asylums. the houses
OF correction or detention or protection with
for @ deSsrsed i PATIENTS or prsonsl.p or witr er
supervising work In the homes to which
these wards OF the city return when they are
discharged. or from which they come when
they break down morally or physically or
both.
Private hospitals, not state, invented and
tried out social service, viz, visiting the
homes of patients and visiting discharged
patients. Private funds were invested to
support the nurses who went to conya-
lesccnts, the visitors who kept track OF help
less little families whose breedwinner was
laid up, and the agents who re estaoished
the cripple in new trade or the discharged
has been into a less strenuous lob.
Philadelphia n a good deal made fun Of
for being 30 philanthropic. The truth H. II
the government were more paterhal the pri-
vate citizen would not have to be so ma
ternal, But even SO, the government would
never have instituted any real social service
anywhere in its public institutions unless
the despised philanthiopists had proved that
1t actually saved public money In the end
TO save convaiescents from becoming chronic
invalids and delinquent boys and girls from
becoming confirmed criminals and fever pa
tients from worrying about home troubles
ming amuck and relapsing into insanity.
""
struct,rc srnerinsnt tried ont hv' nr,vste
Health that the dischstSed patients from
the psychopathic wards OF the philadelphia
General Hospital could be Immensely bene-
fited and in many cases permanently bene-
fitted by judcious after care. such as the
ySsR.A' yiaIpa A' present mas 10 means 0' pf''
This exnerime,, wss tried on, at the re-
ouest Of the then director of public health,
of the pswcbopatbic divisions Of the Phils
delphia Hospital. DR.. jackson, and it was
cont;nned w,ith tbe an,rohat;on If DR. Fur.
hush until. IN the minds OF the experts con-
cerncd. the case was we'll proved.
A pat;ent who has been mentally i'll and
eonsirned to BlockIey. and who recoyers
snf,;cientlv 10 warrant discharre from the
Suny Wards Is yparo,ed Tor i2o dsys. returning to to
,Xftcr that per,od the case was practicsiiy
lost sisht Of until relapse brought the sub-
;sct hack En- the bosnitsi After a certain
yrnmher of relansea the natient would prob
abiy be too irresponsible to be allowed any
20 tha cbronic Yards for the hoDelessly In
sane.
That aY lesst was the history OF hun.
dreds of cases in the course Of years, which
was why tse state insane % .S SasSiIns bs,h were 20
.,.rSs W. nisc. ,;Ia R,ocIleY were IN a
ra;nf',, arts,t Sesdsrs ~ the insane wards
vy,uE Fsrnin,ton Clinic-a Dsvcbonatbic
ni;r;c xh;cb'is srnnorted by the alnmnae
OF tne s,. SenoS' 20 h tnu as ss.ua uauur S ,ni
supervision OF ahenlsts OF h'sn seAnHlnS hnu
wac e1perlenceLun run Hovemper
81 as5 s, ssar 70 hp nn nJo, St 'rns n,rSs,a' 70
vihi' my ss y.,,p 60. ~" pnsrnho
the discharged patients phi,adanS iron tae Psyche
s....U. -, l,oow,n nJ,otlo,,
Hospital, familiarly known % ss biockiey; I3o
!his superylslon WAS 70 oes'n atter tue tau
days the patieht nau Deen Psroiea, when
under normal cir, sirenihs'ahceS nc ~ou'a DC
disSnsaLge1 ~ @ cur" ho.. ,.r,., ,,.,. ,,,.,
Ot the llo cases whose names were giyen
by the hosp!tal 10 tne cnnic' Only por.lo5
needed constant supervisor. One hundred
and nifty visits were paid 70 the homes OF
these cohvalescing Patients however, ana IN
many instances, owing 70 the quick reeosni-
tion OF the trained WORKER, aSngerous re-
lapses were forestalied py prompt measures
to relieve the patient from overstrain either
In his surroundings or his occupation or his
physical complications In some cases his
complete recovery would have been i'm.
possible under his surrounding circum-
stances.
In other cases instruction In simple proc
eases of psychiatric home nursing by the
clinic social service secretary changed the
uufavorable conditions completely.