Related to Material relating to the rehabilitation of spinal and spinal cord injuries
Description:

'The first attempts to establish rehabilitation services in Great Britain took place during the first World War...

The excellent orthopaedic and rehabilitation hospitals organized by Robert Jones, and the similar chain ofAmerican hospitals established in Great Britain by Colonel Goldthwait, were unfortunately all disbanded at the end of the war'

 

Notes that nevertheless, after the First World War the BMA organized committee on fractures, and principles established by Jones were put into practice 'At two or three of the small hospitals - notaby the Hospital for Railwaymen at Crewe, under the leadership of Dr. Moore, and the Seamen's Hospital at the Albert Docks, where Sir Hugh Griffiths instituted the first full rehabilitation programme for injured dock-workers' (39)

 

Emphasises significance of WW2 for development of rehabilitation services

 

Describes rehabilitation practices current at the time of writing

 

Notes the importance of post-hospital rehabilitation centres: 'A very important group of residential rehabilitation centres, now under the National Health Service, was originally established by the Miners Welfare Commission, for the post-hospital rehabilitation [(43-44)] of coal-miners seriously injured in the pits. Eight such centres were opened, in close proximity to thhe chief coalfields, and by the spring of 1950 no less than 11,000 injured miners had passed through the centres, of which 96.2 per cent were back at work. When it is remembered that all these men had suffered from grave injuries - fractured spines and thighs, multiple wounds, etc. - the percentage returned to work is a truly remarkable figure' (43-44)

 

'With the passing of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act immense progress has been made in the development of industrial rehabilitation services... whereas medical rehabilitation concerns itself mainly with the restoration of physical fitness, industrial rehabilitation is concerned with the recovery of confidence in ability to work, the training of those who need to find new vocations, and actual resettlement in suitable employment.' (44)

 

Notes that the Ministry of Labour has appointed a 'Disablement Resettlement Officer' 'at every Employment Exchange throughout the country', opened 'the Disabled Persons' Register', established 'thirteen Industrial Rehabilitation Units in large industrial areas, all but one of which are non-residential', provided 'training facilities for disabled persons' and built 'a large chain of sheltered workshops through the operation of the Disabled Persons' Employment Corporation, or Remploy' (44)

 

'These provisions [of the Ministry of Labour], coupled with the willingness of employers to accept a quota of 3 per cent. of disabled persons among their employees, have entirely changed the prospects of the disabled man or woman' (44-45)

 

'A very interesting experiment... has been the establishment of recuperative workshops in industry. This movement, which was started at Austin's Motor Works in Birmingham, and has since been greatly developed at Vauxhall Motor Works, Luton, and in other large firms, makes it possible for employees who have met with accidents or are recovering from illness to be put to work on machines which are suited to their reduced capacity, and which actually assist their full recovery by exercising muscles which need strengthening or joints which would otherwise become stiff.' (45)