Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-11-04
Work as a Cure
Frederic J. Haskln.

work prescribed for them for curative
The ward doctor making his round stops
at the bed OF man recovering from .
broken arm:
"a little stiff" comments tho doctor.
"Nced something to loosen you up And
he pulls out large blank, and checks 1T
in various places 80 that il prcscribcs one
hour a day of light crafts work In the ward
ns q therapeutic measure.
The blank il turned over 10 o recon
strIction eide, who proceeds diplomaticai-
ly to find out il the patient has any IN
terest in weaving, drawing, basketry, or
wood-carying II he is apathetic, she
tries 20 arouse his interest gradually,
without making him feel that he is being
forced. Usually cases of extreme dspres
sion can be reached and benefited by
hand work OF some sort or another.
At first many doctors in the hospitals
were skeptical of the physical good to
be derived from pounding with hammer
or designing book cover. But confronted
with statistics from their own hospitals
and seeing the effect on the patients In
their care, the government pbyslclans
have nearly all been converted To firm
belief in Occupational Therapy.
This method Of treatment doubtiess
reminds you of the work done In the army
hospitals. by reconstruction aides, and 1t is
an outprowth Of that, though different In
many WAYS The idea started years ago,
when some hospitals and similar instltu-
tions had convaescent patients do hghS
work, as much for help to the institution
as for the exercise IL gave the patient.
Then, some Is years before the war, two
or three civilian hospitals obtained workers
IL II. s. b nj
employ their minds, and perhaps keep
their muscles from getting stiff from idle
ness.
GREW OUT OF WAR
There the matter stayed until during
the war IL became an institution IN the
army and navy hospitals as educational
and reconstrlctive work with the idea OF
giving mutilated men some new interest
and useful occupation. But all this time,
there was no definite system developed
showing the relative curative values OF
the different types of work.
This il being wor ked out now IN the
hospitals Of the Public Health Service, and
the surgeons in charge say that they are
Just beginning TO see the possibilities OF
work as therapy. :.
Adaptation Of the work 10 the ndi-
viduai is extremely important according 70
DIR. Hugh s. Cumming, surgeon-generai OF
the public health service. Unless no is
guided in selection of work, the active
| tubercular pafient may be attracted 0y
heavier work than is considered 70 be
beneficial. such rs carpentry.
Basket work with large reeds often hts
in we'll with excitabie mental cases. A
simple pattern with no complications OF
elaborate design or unusual shape ~ gwen
them, because the monotony OF weaving
round and round without much need Tor
thought has quoting effect. The active
| tubercular patient, on the other hand, y
rarely given reed work, as IL requires con-
siderable effort But he can make Intrl-
cate designs in raffia basketry, az thus
type of work keeps the mind fully occu-
| pied, but does not require very gr eat exer-
ton on the part of the patient.
These are crude cIassifflcatlons,a and the
| doctors are well aware Of il. As time goes
on, however, they expect TO study the
cases in more detail, in order To know more
accurately the value of motion and effort
used in the crafts and IN different kinds OF
garden work.
MENTAL HELP.
DR.. Maddox explains that the curative
| influence of a suitable occupation IS more
There are nearly always IN hospital,
| he saws, "a few patients who are inclined
/ 70 argue about everything. II you can set
one OF these men to follow your lnstruc-
! tions in folding a paper puzzle, or thread
| ing a needle, YOU have got him TO take
orders. and he viii be that much more
tractable when il comes 70 matters OF
medicine and diet.
''Then, many hospital patients become
depressed and morbid from lying idle
| during a long convalescence. For one OF
these gloomy patients who Is able 70 get
| about. the doctor would prescribe some
kind of work TO be taken In the hospital
workshop. At first, perhaps, the patient
is only wheeled down 10 the shop 70 watch
the other men at work, as diversion
Then, he is drawn into the conversation OF
the whiting, joking workmen, and IN .
few days he is at work, and one OF them.
In the year in which the Pubic health
Service has been giving this kind OF treat
ment, it has found the effect on morale tc
be no small part of the value OF the wors
done.
The Public Health Service has IN lts
charge all the ex-soldiers who need treat
ment for physical disability. When These
men were In the army hospitals they were
under orders and could not go home OF
back TO camp until discharged by the sur
geon. Now, the men in care OF tht
| Public Health Service are civilians, anC
have the right of civilians 70 leave tho
hospital even against the doctor $ adj
vice lthat is, unless they are mental pa
| tlents.)
some of the men have been leaving
| sooner than they should because they
tired of the mono.ony of hospital hie, OF
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 keeping
| them contented
WORK MAKES MEN .coNTENTED.
In one hospital, it is reported, where
there were 392 men, 263 were taking oc-
| cupational therapy, and 100 were not. Oi
| the 263 only two left the hospital before the
| they were discharged by the medical Of
| ficer, while of the other l29 S3 either de
serted or left the hospital against the adj
vice of the physicians. OF course, II 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 IN
terest on the part of the men who have a
| chance to try the work cure.
Over 5000 patients, or about one-thlrd
| of those in As government hospitals, are
taking ocoupational therapy now under the
| supervision OF $50 reconstruction aides,