The Washington times., 1923-06-23
TINY PATIENTS
ENJOY OPEN
A|RL|FE
chIIdren's Hospital Lawn Pic
MICS Events for Little Suffer-
ers-Funds Needed.
Bv GEORGE FRANKLIN.

stretched into years, a new regime
goes into effect with the coming
Of warm weather.
For the enclosed wards, where
MANY Of the little inmates have
spent months seeing nothing OF
the outside world except the fleet
ing chances caught through win.
dows. spacious lawns and broad
yerandas are exchanged. So far
as nossible for the little patients
Il becomes "life in the open"
marked by such activities as APP
peal most strongly to the child
fancy.
Enjoy Lawn Picnic.
One of the summer changes
greatly enjoyed by the children are
the lawn picnics. They are held at
luncheon time and as many OF the
youngsters as can be taken to the
green, shaded sward. are brought
out. Lunch hampers follow them.
Blankets are spread over the grass
on which the picnickers are ar
ranged in groups. Then the at
| tending nurses distribute the sand
wtches. milk, cookies and other lit
tie delicacies, and, according to the
attendants, the children can be de-
pended upon to eat as they seldom
| do under other circumstances.
This is one Of the real advan.
tages afforded by our spacious
lawns" said Matte M. Gibson, su'
| perintendent. as she stopped long
enough in the arranging OF the
groups to survey the lawn.
| "You can see how Delighted they
are to escape from the wards INTO
| the open. It affords them chance
to Get right back to nature and
| they all seem to know how to do
| that. given the chance"
Indicating one of the groups Su.
| perintendent Gibson stated II was
composed Of children. some or
whom have been patients at the
hospital since they were born. 9th.
ers have been there from one to
| three years. Each represents a
chronic condition requiring long Pc
| RODS Of treatment under the d.
rection Of experts and surroundings
of the most advantageous character.
They are each improving and in
time will go forth from the hos
pital restored to normal. Those IN
| terested in the institution have a
| pertinent way of asking: What
| would have been their fate but for
the existence of such an institution
as the Children's Hospital?" 1t Is
a question, it is pointed out by
! them, that has not been entirely
answered even yet, for while the
Children's Hospital Is treating on
an average OF 1000 children month
ly it would take many times its
present capacity and facilities to
meet the growing demand for its
services.
Uses Modern Methods.
Noticeable at the hospital are
the adoption Of modern methods OF
treatment. Children suffering from
diseases which were formerly con-
fined in close. stuffy. hot rooms and
wards, are there being cared for
under surroundings as comfortable
as effective ventilation and airy
rooms can be made to provide. Even
the outdoors is resorted to in treat
| ing them, particularly in hurry1ng
the periods of convalescence. To.
day a little fellow, barely out OF
| the clutches of pneumonia, was
found sleeping peacefully on an i'm
provised cot--a garden bench piled
high with pillows, while his nurse
lowered over him keenly intent on
anticipating his every comfort.
| Just how they manage 1t is diff
cult to explain but somehow the
little sufferers come quickly to re.
gard their nurses with feelings OF
true affection. 1t is almost worth
her life for a nurse to pass through
I%L nV~Nr NnlnGd
goes as the bearer OF some unex'
pected pleasure for the inmates.
They swarm about them, cling to
their skirts, ask to be carried, and
for a hundred and one things only
q child's longings can suggest, but
principally for toys. They hug them
and pull them down and make them
promise they will come back later.
This is not the experience of a "faV-
orite" nurse, but is the reception
given impartially to the staff.
Big Demand for Toys.
The demand for toys is incessant.
It is also little less than impossible
for the hospital to secure the toys
really needed. Children are born
wreckers, and that tendency does
not abate in the least by becoming
an hospital inmate. Just as soon
as the youngster is able to get
around and play with toys the
wrecking begins. That causes the
toy shortage which Is more or less
continual at the hospital. Unques-
J tionably, no better use could be
made Of the surplus toys in many
= Washington homes than sending
} them to the Children's Hospital.
A deficit Of some $4,000 has &C
cumulated in connection with GER
tain child treatment. The hospital
is now striving tc make 1t up. On
June %, the hospital will receive
one dollar on each ticket sold Tor
the Cleveland Washington baseball
game. Friends Of the hospital are
forcing the ticket sale by every
means at their disposal. 1t Is hoped
a record breaking attendance at the
game will be recorded. If this can
be accomplished the hospital Will
net approximately $4,000. But TO
realize such a sum means the sale
of all available tickets.
According to the hoSpltal scheo,
ule a dollar pays for the care ana
treatment Of a child for day. The
service costs the hospital more tnan
three dollars a day. but the d1frer-
ence is met through appropriations
and donations. Just now the entire
hospital organization is pushing the
baseball ticket sale.