Occupations for the tuberculous insane

Abstract

Just as in other types of disease, it is imperative that the occupational therapist dealing with tuberculous persons should know something of the nature of the disease itself, as well as of the methods of the cure and treatment of persons suffering from it. This is not a suitable occasion for it, nor can I, as a layman, attempt to deal with the nature of tuberculosis, but I have procured a supply of a popular exposition of the subject, "What You Should Know About Tuberculosis," published by the National Tuberculosis Association, and I hope that each member of this Institute will take a copy and read it at leisure. I regret that two other documents, each of which dealt with the subject in a more comprehensive way for our present purposes, are both out of print. I refer to a reprint of a series of lectures by Dr. Joseph Walsh, of Philadelphia, that appeared in the Journal of the Outdoor Life in 1923, and Bulletin No. 59, published by the Federal Board for Vocational Education, entitled " A Tuberculosis Background for Advisors and Teachers." I think it is likely that some copies of the latter may be in tile libraries of some of your hospitals, as the Bulletin was widely distributed to all institutions where ex-service men were under treatment. It is necessary, though, to review briefly at this time some of the facts about tuberculosis which must be known to lay workers. Tuberculosis is caused by a specific organism, the tubercle bacillus and, as we have all learned through the educational work of the organizations devoted to its prevention and cure, is a communicable disease. It is, however, curable if taken in time; the principal means of cure being a carefully supervised regimen of rest, fresh air and proper food. It is true that during the past few years a gi~eat many other methods of cure have been discovered and are in Use today, but the enormous development of the sanatorium movement during the past twenty years took place chiefly because of the realization that it was necessary to provide suitable institutions in which the formula of rest, fresh air and good food could conveniently be applied.