Evening star., 1922-12-03
CHRISTMAS SEALS
AND WHAT THEY Do
Annual Sale on to Raise
Funds for Fighting
White Plague.

When it comes to selling Christmas
seals to stamp out the white plague
ask the patients out at the city tuber-
culosis hospital. who are lighting the
disease at close quarters. They know.
There the scene is all set for an
other big seal campaign SINH
lar to that which proved so success
full last December. At that time the
patients themselves sold over 10.700
seals. having a cash value of upward
Of S1O7. Each of the eight wards is
being organized, with one of the
patients named as captain in each.
four men and four women. and all
are under the direction of the hos
pitai authorities. In each ward Dr.
]. w. Peabody. superintendent of the
hospital. and Miss Viola Cushman. di-
rector of the occupational therapy de-
partment. have made special ad-
dresses explaining the Importance of
the seal campaign from both local
and national standpoints. And all
are now keyed up to the highest pitch
of enthusiasm for the sale.
System OF Self-Help.
Few of all the thousands of people
in this city who are enlisted in the
great war against the white plague
know anything of the system of self
help that is being successfully work.
ed out among the patients of the
tuberculosis hospital at 14th and Up
shur streets through the financial
support of the Washington Tubercu-
losis Association.
They call it ''occupational therapy."
To the ordinary layman, on first ac-
quaintance. the term sounds dry and
technical Something to be skipped
In the papers or ducked in conversa-
tion.
But, wait a minute. There is a big,
vital and intensely interesting human
story back of that scientific sound
ing title. 1t means the application
of great curative principle of the
mind to the winning battle which so
many are fighting agatnst-tubercu-
loSis.
Here Is What Happens.
The. tuberculosis patient. child or
adult, is enabled SO TO occupy his
mind with interesting creative work
that the body's inherent powers for
resisting the disease germs are there
by strengthened and the suffering of the
afflicted ones is changed into compare
tive comfort and contentment
Every person can see at once the
tremendous Importance of such a con-
tribution to the weapons of defense
and cure Instead of the gloom and
idle monotony which heretofore sur
rounded the daily life of those COM
PEELED to take treatment in hospitals
for the tuberculous, these institutions
are already becoming places where
the necessary rest and treatment may
be obtained under cheerful conditions,
where each patient by his own choice
is provided with some form Of Gre
ative work or play that will take
the mind off self.
What DR.. Peabody Says.
For, that is just what Or. Peabody.
the physician in charge of the Tuber-
culosis Hospital, said when asked
about the objective of occupational
therapy.
For a long time." said the doctor,
II and other physicians dealing with
realized the importance of something
that would take the mind of the pa
tient off himself and away from his
trouble. But I realized at the same
time that it was big undertaking
to provide that something, involving
of considerable sum of real money
beyond that already required by the
hospital. Consequently it was with
the utmost Joy that I learned. one
fine morning a year ago. that the
board Of the Tuberculosis Association
important work of reconstruction,
and 1 welcomed it with open arms.
Occapational therapy is not specific,
but it is often of the utmost value in
effecting a cure. 1t has almost wholly
removed the chronic grumblers from
mosphere Of dependency.
"Occupational therapy takes into
consideration all classes of our pa
tients. First, it gives to those who are
in the incipient stage of the disease
a greater chance to come back and to
take their places again In the family
and civic life. Second. for those who
are in the advanced stage of the dis
ease. this system tends to make them
more contented and happy and useful
up the morale of the hospital, which
is matter of utmost importance for
all who are concerned, both patients
and workers"
Had Been Successfully Used.
The establishment of this occupa-
tional therapy department for the
tuberculous was due In part to its
successful use among tuberculous SOL
diers after the world war. But, al
though the need Of it had been recog-
nized, there was no possibility Of get
ting through Congress provision for
such a new experiment as this. 1t
was then that the importance OF the
idea in the fight against tuberculosis
was seen by the officials in charge of
the Washington tuberculosis Associ-
alton. They resolved to make the
demonstration as one Of the things
most worth doing with the funds
placed at their disposal. largely
through the sale Of Christmas seals.
1t is hoped that in the course Of time
the great practical value of this oc-
cupational treatment for tuberculosis
patients will become SO well UNDER
stood by all concerned that this de-
partment will be adequately provided
for by Congress.
Miss Cushman Enthusiastic.
The Tuberculosis Association feels
that it must go on with this great
work, which has thus far been under
the direction Of Miss Viola Cushman.
She came to the task from her ex-
perience in the soldier reconstruction
service. Miss Cushman is enthusiastic
in her devotion to the occupationa1
work for the tuberculosis patients. in
which she is under the advice of the
physician in charge. Since February
last she has been assisted in the edu-
cational and craft work for the pa
tients by Mrs. T. s.. McC1elland.