Evening star., 1936-06-14

Hospital here, and so successfully has
it worked out that the institution now
boasts three salons de beaute. The
first was a sort of experimental make
shift of two years ago, the second
was added because of the growing
popularity and the demand of fe-
male patients. The third is in the new
S75O00O Womans Receiving Build
ing which is about to be opened on
the great quadrangle of the grounds.
When DR.. William A. White, su-
perintendent Of st. Elizabeth'S, de-
cided on tests of beauty treatments for
feminine heads, hands and faces, he
drafted into use one of the ante-rooms
of a former operating room in &C.
building, fitting up the parlor with
the usual equipment of curling irons,
dryers, manicure implements, tonics
and cold creams. Miss Lee, a beauty
expert, was placed on Government
roles and this new idea of mental
therapy went into operation. From the
first it worked like something more
than a charm, the beauty staff was
augmented, a second parlor opened
in another building and when plans
were drafted for the new receiving
home for women, adequate and at
tractive orchid-enameled beauty quar-
ters were included.
Until the last few years women ad-
mitted to the hospital wore their hair
long, as did most of those on the
outside, and comparison of the scrag-
gly, stringy wispS of former times,
with the bobbed hair of today'S in
mates of st. Elizabeths is very OBJ
vious. With advent of beauty parlors,
more and more patients focked there,
sat quietly down in comfortable
chairs, listened amiably to suggestion,
to the snip-Snip of scissors, and de-
parted looking much improved, more
neat, more self-poSSeSsed and reliant.
The familiar and get-together
"dearie,' address of the usual beauty
salon is not missing. nor are the
appointments, because at st. Eliza
beth's hours and service are booked,
even as with you and me.
EIRST shampoo, then a trim;
finger wave. facial and a mani
cure, and much better and brighter
the world looks to a woman cropping
in mental darkness! Consider, please.
Mrs. Smith-BroWn, sane, safe and
comfortable, living in a nice home
with a nice husband and nice chill
dren. She goes happily about until
she discovers with horror that choice
bit of upholstery has become the feed
ing ground of termites-millions of
'em. An exterm.nator arrives, does
his bit and the worst is over. But
such a nervous shock as she has eX-
perienced calls for a pacifier in the
shape Of new permanent or finger
wave, new hat or dress. So heigho
to hairdresser or milliner and all
again is right with the world.
This little human interest tabloid
story causes one to reflect on what
beauty treatments may and can do
for women patients at St. Elizabeth's
and elsewhere. What days and months
Of mental anguish, with perhaps
physical suffering added, can be
wiped away, if only for a time, by
the warm sprays of rinsing water, the
use of tonics and lotions, the cascad-
ing finger wave, all bringing order
out Of chaos in personal appearances
For no woman, sane or otherwise,
ever came out from under the hands
and soothing maneuverS of skillful
beauty operator without saying to
herself, "Once again I look and feel
like a million dollars!"
AS the months have rolled away
and beauty treatments gained in num-
ber, popularity and benefit at the in
stitution, occupational therapy, as re-
CARDS the patient herself, has come
into its own. Numbers of the women
who come to be beautified remained
to take lessons and become assistants
to the professional beauticians. And"
adds Miss Lee, so many of my clients
have gone away cured or on the road
to recovery" The interest shown by
these clients" manifests itself in the
fact they have clipped from maga-
zines, newspapers and rotogravures
dozens and dozens and dozens of pic
tured coiffures, and especially those
Of movie actresses, and used them as
wall decorations in the beauty salon
until the place appears to be papered
with illustrations.
IA MOTHER departure, due again to
DR.. White and his able assistants,
l.