Evening star., 1924-11-16
SHRINE HOSPITAL
UNITS COMPLETED
Many Crippled Children on
Waiting List to Get Early
Treatment.

Officers OF Almas Temple, Mystic
Shrine. have received notice that ad-
dfttonal facilities for treating Grip
pied children and restoring them to
normal coudition soon will be pro -
Nided through the completion of five
new units of the Shriners' Hospitals
Por Crippled Children. 1t is possible
that little CrippleS who have applied
through this temple for admittancc
TO one of the Shrine hospitals and
found q. long waiting list ahead OF
them may receive the benefits of
surgical treatment much sooner
through the addition of the new
units, which will relieve the conges-
tion in existing hospitals.
The added facilities for meeting
the enormous demand by little folk
with crooked SpineS. crooked limbs
and clubfeet will be provided by
the opening, some time in January, of
5O-bed hospital at Springfield, Mass.
and one Of similar capacity at Mon
treal, Canada. and mobile units. y
with headquarters in existing general
hospitals at Salt Lake City, Spokane.
wash, and Winnipeg, Canada. Al
ready i'll operation are the Sariuers'
hospitals for Crippled Children at
II. Louis, San Francisco. Shreveport
La; Portland, Greg, and the Twin
J.,
MINI. These have a total capacity
% 200 beds. They are constantly
filed, with nearly a. thousand chill
dren registered on the waiting lists.
Sites for large hospitals have been
selected in Philadelphia and Chicago
and work soon IS 10 begin.
There are no strict territorial lines
drawn by these hospitals, and chill
dren may be sent from this city to
nf
opening, but it is the general policy
OF the institutions to give preference
10 patients in their own region Of
the country, that long Journeys may
be avoided.
4OO,OOO CrippIes In U. 8.
The opening Of the Shriners' Hos
pitals for Crippled Children two years
s.go has brought out the surprising
.;tct, not shown in Government census
+Gures, that there are more tran
100000 LITTLE crippies in the United
states. The parents Of many OF
these, Of course, are able TO pay for
surgical treatment, but the mystic
shrine is interested only in those
whose families cannot afford the
cost. The Shrine hospitals are open
70 all such children, white or black.
without regard to religion or fra
ternal affiliation, the only require
ments being that the child is not
over IA, that the case promises rea-
sonable hope OF material improve
lnent and that the family is unable
10 bear the expense of operations
and hospital treatment.
Nearly 1000 little cripples have
been received in these Temples of
Babies Smiles" as the Shrine hos
pitfalls have been called. given the
best of surgical treatment and sent
to their homes, strong and normal.
Some of the results have been amaz-
ing, children who had never stood
erect In their lives being made able
10 walk and run. The surgeons in
charge are chosen by an advisory
board composed OF several of the
most noted orthopedic surgeons In
the country and the results achieved
have attracted the attention of the
profession throughout the civilized
world.
1t is the intention Of the Mystic
Shrine to build and operate more
and more hospitals for the little
cripples until every part of the coun-
try is covered and every crippled
child has chance TO get IAN even
start In the world"
The hospitals are supported en-
tirely by the more than 100000 mem
hers of the Mystic Shrine who pay
SO year each to the hospital fund,
providing more than a million dol
lars g. year for this work. No call
is ever made upon the outside public,
though in the cities where the hos
pitals have been opened there hNae
been generous gifts Of equipment from
civic clubs, other organizations and
individuals.