HEALING THE SCARS OF WAR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 282, 25 August 1919, Page 6

HEALING THE SCARS OF WAR

VOCATIONAL TRAINING IN AMERICA. This work of vocational framing for Mttfrned American soldiers is being taken in hand"by the United Slates autnorities '",-ffith. characteristic vigour. Up to date 52 hospitals hove *ueen designated for the ;work of physical reconstruction, and the ixeatmeiit given includes the educational aa well as the therapeutic (writes tho New York "Outlook"). In flll these plans fqr the reclamation Of disabled men the iidea has been not only to euro tho men, but to help them to secure remunerative employment as ■ soon as they are able to re-enter civilian life. Close co-operation is therefore maintained be•tween thq Division of Physical Reconstruction, with its work in hospitals, ond the Federal Board of Vocational Education, into whoso hands the men who are entitled to" compensation by the War Bisk Insurance Bureau, after their dis- : charge, go for further education. Every effort is made in planning for this retraining to make use of the former trade or occupational knowledge of ■ jthe disabled man. While he is undor graining his expenses aia paid. After the completion of hia training employment is found for him" by the Placement ■Division oi the Federal Board,/and his work is supervised for a time in order to sea that he is able to make good under commercial conditions. During .this period of probation his support is continued. Some idea of the importance which tie various Governments attach to this class of work n<av be judged by tho ; foot that w international conference (was -recently held in Now York City. France ~"sent ; 'as'a delegate. Dr. Maurioe Bourrilon,'" director of tho National Institute 'jfor War- Cripples at. St. Maurice. ;Tmd : ' president of .the Permanent ' linter-Ailied Committee on War v l ' Cripples. He lias been called tho grandfather ; of tho movement for tho rehabili'maimed soldiers, this work hav,ing been in operation, in Franco tor over . | four .vears.w He states that the 124 vocaJtional- schools which have been cstablish- . j eel th?re have not been sufficient for all (■those who' have been desirous of learning j'a trado. and that these schools have had i to'-be-enlarged and new ones opened. .-A-,. Inoident.after inoident might be relat»d to show what is being dono in the . .way of healing, these 6cars of war, and what it means to tho soldier and to his family' to know that the servico and adl.vieo of a.'vast staff of experts—medical, j psychological, sociological, and economic !f-are at his command. i In one of tho hospitals devoted entirely ,to head cases, a .pathetic instance is • :«ited of.a boy who was horribly burned • jpy liquid fire. His lower jaw was al- - inos.t completely bnrtied away, ho' had V i'l63t'.liis iiose, ?.nd there were other 6eri-' 0 'ous' wounds about the face and upper • .part of the head. Ho had beeu operated on seven' times. Tip (o the time of tho , .third, operation ho had. been unablo to speak, but his brain was only too activo .when he thought of what lifo held for iim. While undergoing the third opcrntion. and while still under tho infiuenco 'of the anacsthotio; ho spoke for the first 'time. t And ho voiced the thoughts that had been surging through his brain all thoso terrible weeks when ho said—"This : .way, ladies and gentlemen; this way, please. Take a look at'' the human "freak." And 60 it is with many of • these vouns; men. They do not wish to \ inflict tho'suffering which the sight of .'' them' would bring to their parents. Tims the Government is exerting overv effort to mitigato such unfortunate conditions, 'iThe blind, tho deaf, tho armless, tho legless. all are being helped in different ways, special attention being given to each'kind of disability. Cliatham Houso, Ramsgate, whioh was used during the war as a hospital for Canadian wounded soldiws, aad, after having been bombed on more than ono occasion, was converted into a prison camp for German officer prisoners of war, is now boiug acquired as a boys' secondary sohooi.