News And Comment
Dr John H. Musser, Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, recently held at his residence in Philadelphia a meeting for the consideration of the organization of social work in connection with dispensary practice. To this meeting he invited representatives of the various departments of the University Hospital, Miss Marion E. Smith, superintendent of the hospital, a representative of the department of psychology at the University, a representative of the department of sociology, and representatives of the University Settlement. Those present listened to the account given by Miss Ida M. Cannon, of Boston, of the social work department of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr Musser has already obtained one assistant, who will visit cases in their homes, give lessons in hygiene, cooking, etc., and endeavor to carry out the directions of the physicians. It is his desire to organize a corps of social workers, in part made up of students of sociology and psychology, and working in conjunction with the University Settlement for the district in which the settlement is located. It is probable that this work, which is thus being begun under Dr Musser’s influence, will increase in importance very rapidly.
Such has been the history of the work established at the Massachusetts General Hospital through the efforts of Dr Richard C. Cabot. The first annual report was published only last year, but in that report the staff for social work includes a general secretary and assistants, a volunteer teacher of hygiene, nine volunteer assistants at the outpatient department, and five paid assistants outside the out-patient department. There is also a large suburban tuberculosis class organized with two physicians in charge, with a large number of volunteer visitors and several paid assistants. In addition to the work in the tuberculosis class, social work has been organized to include the teaching of hygiene in the many cases where this is necessary; demonstrations and directions to mothers on infant feeding and the care of delicate children; the providing of vacations and country outings for those who need them as part of their treatment; the care of unmarried girls who are pregnant, morally exposed, or feeble-minded; help for patients needing work or a change of work; provision and provisions for patients “dumped” at the hospital; assistance to patients needing’treatment after discharge from the hospital wards. In administering general relief, the social work department endeavors to make available for its patients the resources of the charitable organizations already in the field, and undertakes relief on its own account only in those cases for which no proper or adequate disposition can be found.
The socialization of medicine presents an important problem, analogous to that of the socialization of education, for which The Psychological Clinic is a spokesman. Miss Cannon emphasizes the fact that what dispensary patients need is education quite as much as medical treatment. The social workers connected with the Massachusetts General Hospital have outlined a plan-of education in the proper mode of living and in the care of the sick. For the socialization of education we need first to instruct teachers that the educational problem is only part of a larger social problem, and then to win their interest to assist in working out a solution.
Asheville, N. C., is about to organize a class for truants. Superintendent R. J. Tighe is looking for a suitable person, preferably a man, to take charge of this first class. It is probable that the work will extend to backward children, as this has been the history of such work in other cities.
The psychological training school, or hospital school, seeks to obtain one or more student assistants. The assistant will live at the school and receive instruction in psychology, in nursing, and in special work with backward children, as part compensation. Those who graduate from the hospital school as trainers of backward children should be able to obtain for the training of private cases the compensation of trained nurses, in the neighborhood of one hundred dollars a month and expenses. The work is of a character to recommend itself to college graduates who require financial assistance while pursuing graduate work in psychology or sociology. Inquiries should be addressed to Dr Lightner Witmer, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. Dr J. Carleton Bell, Instructor in Experimental Psychology, Wellesley College, has been appointed to take charge of the new psychological laboratory in the Brooklyn Training School for Teachers.
Disclaimer
The historical material in this project falls into one of three categories for clearances and permissions:
Material currently under copyright, made available with a Creative Commons license chosen by the publisher.
Material that is in the public domain
Material identified by the Welcome Trust as an Orphan Work, made available with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
While we are in the process of adding metadata to the articles, please check the article at its original source for specific copyrights.