Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 110, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 May 1919 — Lung Diseases Lead Army Ills [ARTICLE]

Lung Diseases Lead Army Ills

Estimated That There Ar/ 40,000 Cases Which Will Require Supervision

Out of 7,710 cases of discharged disabled men from army, navy and marine con# whose cases have been passed upon by the war risk insurance bureau, and, who therefore are eligible for free vocational retraining by the federal board for vocational education, 2,791, or 36.2 per cent, have tuberculosis or lung complaints. The federal hoard stated it is informed that first .and last there will be between thirty and forty thousand tuberculosis cases. Not all of them will require vocational retraining, but the number expected is largf. ‘ These eases will be handled on a iseparate basis from the rest of tha injured and disabled men, and will require constant supervision and medical attention to insure the arresting of the disease and complete restoraa tion to health. , This is the primary consideration, and training will be only such during this period as to furnish enough occupation to keep the patient busy, contented and hopeful. Canada has been very successful in dealing with her tuberculous army men, and the Canadian system will, in many particulars, be followed by the federal board with men of the United States forces. The old idea that a man recovered from tuberculosis should do nothing but out-of-doors work is exploded, and, according to the federal board, there is a great variety of indoor occupations he can follow with perfect safety, provided bis living and working conditions are proper. According to official advices the total of “major amputation cases” in the United States forces to date is 3-,034, of which 2,308 are arm and leg cases, and of these approximately 600 are arm amputations and 1,708 are leg amputations. The remaining 726 are hands, feet and two or more fingers. Not all of these men require special training to enable them to make a living, the federal board for vocational education points out; in fact, the percentage is smaller than one would imagine. A lawyer, doctor, draftsman, bookkeeper, dentist, stenographer, office man or salesman is not necessarily affected unfavorably in making a living by reason of having lost a leg; but the loss of an arm may be a very serious matter. Those who in the main require re-education on account of leg or arm .amputations are fanners, artisans whose trade required great activity, such as carpenters, teamsters, structural iron workers and the like. • There are no hard and fast rules, and cannot be, for each case must be judged on its own merits, as for instance that of a professional violinist, who, having lost a finger joint of his left hand, found his occupation utterly gone and had to learn to do something else for a living.