San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-26
CR|PPLES WALK
As MODERN
MIRACLE
Clinic Revives Hope for
Helpless Children to
Play Again.
By BESS CARROLL


"And in that place were the lame,
the halt and the blind. and the
lame we're made to walk
A miracle--like an answered prayer
from the acknowledgement in the
Robert B. Green hospital few days
ago. A little crippled boy threw his
crutch away and walked.
1t was his first erect, straight step
on limbs newly remadc; his first step
toward the usefulness, the happiness
and the mans work that he covets as
his share Of life.
ONE OF MANY.
He is only one Of n pitiful COM
munity Of helpless children; a conf
munity of white beds, pale faces, twist
ed limbs. They are the children's
ward at the Robert i. Grcen-the
greatest tragedy of place where pain
and death and bitter life-battles are
the daily routine. Cor while others
suffer for awhile or quickly. lose the
fight, these little prisoners must carry
on their part of pain and helplcssness
and isolation; on and on, sometimes
until they arc old men and women.
But as the drcady days drag by in
the little colony of stricken children,
there is a bright hope that makes dis
torted limbs seem straighter, deaC
spines more alive-the hope of release
from crutches and beds and pain. And
the chief messenger of this hope, be-
side the doctors, is n cheerful San An
tonic girl, whose expert work as
physic- therapy technician is speeding
her charges on to complete recovery.
GIVES TINE TO CLINIC.
Miss Laura Borwell, a pioneer in the
work of coaxing dead OF disabled mus
cles back to life and normal function
ing. gives three mornings weck-
Monday, Wednesday and Friday-to
clinic at the Robert Il. Green. As
follow-up to operations and medicsl
treatment, Miss Borwell's work is done
under the supervision of physicians,
and its chief aim is to educate tense.
distorted muscles to do their normal
part. Physic-thcrapy was developed by
the World War. II was in 1919 at
Fort Sam Houston that Miss Borwcll
started her reclamation work as an
orga nicer of the clinic there. She is
credited with having sent many a dis
ablcd doushboy back to service and TO
life during the carnage that killed so
many lives by slow degrees of torture.
Following her work in the army Miss
Borwell spent several useful years in
the State of Wisconsin General HIS
pitn. In June, 1925, she started her
clinic at the city hospital.
TEACHES CURATIVE PLAY
Miss Borwcll's work includes mu,
cular massage, stretching exercises,
re educational exercises. curative play.
and various forms of clectro-hydfo
and light therapy. On massage. *
ercisc and light she chiefly bases her
attacks on paralysis. tubcrcular spincs,
and disabling injuries. Three morn
ings week she 'educates" the
twisted. stiff little limbs and spines
of the children Of her clinic.
''Onc of the chief objects of m,
work is to teach the children how to
correct their over-worlicd or non func-
tioning muscles with every movement
they make" Miss Burwell said. For
instance, crippled child can ride d
kiddie car in such a way that his
particular deformity can be helped.
Every step he takes should be made
with movements beneficial to his cs-
pecial case. Therefore large part
of my work in the clinic is simply
psycholosy-thc psychology of max
ing children want to help themselves,
even il it hurts"
KIDDIE DON'T MIND
And it sometimes docs hurt to have
tense muscles strctched-but the kid
dies don't mind.
Gee" said one, brushing tears of
pain from bis eyes-"I don't mind the
pain at all. why, just think-solnr
day soon III be able to play baseball.
Say. Id stand most anything to be
able TO do that-just once"
One Of the most pitiful cases in tine
clinic is a little tot called Tommy.
He is three years old. A tubercullr
spine has stiffened and deadened ais
limbs. Left unhclpcd, Tommy could
never walk. Now, after several