Show 7 L L I IL t Ct M r I f vc C Ih 4 NeM Ne w es A sufferer from curvature of the spine undergoing u a form of the mirror cure IT w w leather trap is f fastened under under- I nOW th the e R Re e e ed d u n 4 s sw w n neath the dD cI n nand md and with the weaker of her two hinds hands placed above the f oJ r A other on th the rope s she e pulls as hard hardas as asP ft ca ration t lOn o 0 f II tel r t a r she can while keeping her heras f feet firmly firm ly P f t ton on the floor floer Muscles Is t r w 8 ty 3 j k kv Ifs n n nr r Made j jas as Fas- Fas Fascinating aM r 4 y w gy i f i s Y f fF v 4 F r rC rIa 1 C Ia l as a t Game by b Mearns leams l eams I i i of Looking Looking- t I M r ii da e V it Q I lK F Glasses That s ram r i t Fa X Show Sit o W Just Jus t What Wha Wh a M rC S SM M i x iF a Benefit Them Their 5 W t A iw w q t ly Twisted Bodies 1 tX r C u tx r ire Are Getting Get a hs 1 ng a ak y t i k i t tV V a I From the T y Exercises e ed d j M r 1 4 By Dr I L 1 o r A A PEW FEW years ago Dr A i ii i Henry W w a thai the tJ UK well known New York ortho ortho- orthopedic orthopedic surgeon had a brilliant idea It was to place mirrors so so that crippled children could look at themselves whIle taking exercises designed to correct the tho deformities of their bodies This idea of Dr was the result of sound reasoning and a tho thoi ough knowledge of child psychology Certain deformities are cured by exer eCer exercise cise and he reasoned that If it a deformed chIld gould could see itself performing the exercIses it would Could take more interest In them and be continually striving to out out- outdo outdo outdo do Its previous efforts If for example the deformity deform y is that liosis-that that is a twisting of the spinal column the sIdeways sideways the exercise would be to bend the body in the opposite di- di direction di dl direction several times a day As this causes some discomfort the child u used ed to shirk the exercise whenever possible But Dut now the child performs performs they this ex- ex exercise ex cx exercise in front of a II mirror and as it can see just how far it can bend sIdeways It always alay tries to exceed its former ef- ef efforts ef efforts forts by bending still further It has II a ai i object or goal and it submits to tot t discomforts just lust as liS the tho athlete submits to discomforts U to win wm a II race or game Children are sensitive girls more moro so than boys and they feel a II sense of in- in inferiority in inferiority if they have noticeable deformities ties The Tho child does docs not realize that de- de deformity de deformity is a disease and it does not know that disease shortens sh life The child ws however that he or sho IS ISI I not like other children that tic the bent or twisted back the sunken chest or pIgeon breast the twisted foot toot the wasted asted arm armI armor I Gr cr leg makes him or her less attractive II By playing upon the vanity of the tho thoI I child it has haa been possible to make it II submit I to the pain and discomfort con con- connected connected con connected with mth hew ho euing vv Baring of various appliances appliances I ances plaster casts braces suspension I and extension apparatus and perform perform- performing performing Iring D ing various corrective exercises But Dut the I i treatments are arc very slow usually extend extending nd- nd I ing over many months and often years II II 1 before the desired results are obtained Where corrective I e exercises are em- em employed employed em employed I the Improvement at each treat treat- treatment 4 ment meat Is so 60 slight alight that many treatments I t are required before any improvement Is noticed But Dut children arc impatient l I they want ant action and they want to see seo Improvement I Under the old methods they went through their exercises without knowing how much they improved Cd and sooner or i 1 later they became tired of the work r Tile The doctor would encourage them but i buti they could not see VI what hat they were ere doing or what good the treatment was doing They knew only that the tie the exertion was I 9 r s lf fr painful and in time the fear of the tho pam pain paino o o the desire to be cured they shrank from the ordeal and they gave up the treatment Then came Dr Frauenthal's idea of letting the child see what it was doing It would Could interest the child and being able to see how far it could move Its tWIsted little body or its weakened wasted limb it would try to beat the record at each exercise A single trial su sufficed to pro prove prose e the idea and so obvious was as the result that it was as immedIately adopted in almost every institution In which deformities are treated In the Hospital for Deformities in New York the exercise room is lined on two t o sides from flom fi om the floor up with about six feet high and hero here every afternoon a number of these young yo pa- pa patients patients pa patients can be seen each in front ofa of a mir mir- mirror mir mirror bending stooping or stretching as the teacher who stands at tho the patients patient's side directs A short line lime I me ago a physician got the bright idea of making chalk marks across the mirror and letting the child see how far it could bend or twist or stretch then encouraging it to go a little further across the line Ime than it reached the tha last time or to touch the next line above or below the one it had reached This idea was dev des eloped further and the latest mir mir- mirrors mirrors for corrective exercises have hori hori- horizontal hori hori- horizontal horizontal and vertical lines lanes numbered so 30 that the child can see where it left off and at the try to reach the tho next lino The plain mirror was used at ot first only in spinal deformities side aide twists and exaggerated forward for and backward curves The Tha side twist or lateral curva curva- curvature curvature curvature ture or as It Is called technically tech- tech technically was formerly very common among school children It was vas caused by faulty posture especially when writ writ- writing writing ing mg The child would It Bit it facing forward then when writing with pen and Ink It would twist the upper part of the body sideways and thus twist the spinal col column uma Years ago no attention was paid to posture but since it was found that most cases of or lateral curvature were ere duo to the tho practice of sitting in school facing forward and twisting the body sideways when writ writ- writing writing ing school authorities changed the shape shapo o of the seat backs and desks Even now however hoover many children sit twisted when writing with pen and ink and andas andas as the bones are still p pliable pliable able during the r I y p growing age the twisted spinal column y G r i 1 r remains twisted and it requires months e e t i yM t 1 t tor or years of treatment to straighten it out S by twisting the body in the opposite di- di 1 r ir 7 t i In these cases the bones are of nor nor- Jr s r h hz z r d ys 4 wL a a mal hardness but in rickets the bones j are too soft and prolonged pressure weight or expansion or extension till r h a aL t tea ea r cause all sorts of deformities Ther i F 1 L r rl rr l r of the body upon the lower limbs then standing will cause bow legs or knock knees then sitting exaggerated spinal chicken breast m 4 y x r which the breast bone bul es outward 1 1 r w 4 Kr c fx y i a which or funnel breast in the breast ar Y y r t a yA w bone bends in- in T t r wl l Lard and de- de deformed r formed hip h r a y a a bones w h i ic c h tic r r make childbirth t fi Zi a Y Q k C difficult or n im-n ai Berk a nab This girls girl's right arm was possible v i paralyzed from birth an and Some of these ta G a a s Q t before undergoing treat heat treatment c a s e s require ment at the Hospital for Joint in plaster casts New York she was unable to lift it some exercise is educating re-educating tIle the mus mus- require braces in some aa im gl des clew and every day the mirror reflects a alight ay cases other y 4 slight light improvement as she goes through are em- em c i im m t the gymnastics prescribed the doctors have a o m e surgical u ua a y operations but in inthe ct t the course of r ar y treatment exert exercise exer- exer exercIse jL t cIse is necessary every li c cL L y t tAnd And in Ci i C case when exer exer- exer exercise a cise IS indicated Ty v t w zap the mirror IS a ai y w w I r valuable adjunct to the treatment r ry rys v s In paralysis r 01 3 1 1 w when hen improve improve- BAs BAsa BAsi i so a t ra rd y meat ment begins Its progress IS com com- comparatively corn corn-a is rapid p for wo we are deal deal y t is s with mth mg Ing nerves and muscles soft a structures which t ts s l l I Ican can be g t y t e and the ther r aL y r t 4 tissue waste occa- occa occasIoned occasioned by ner- ner exercise cise IS replaced w rr rapidly by f z healthy tIssue Tho more actIve The aJ tho e exercise the themore more rapId the M repair and the Practicing before the mirror a set of exercises designed to u a stronger the mus- mus correct a serious curvature of the spine resulting from in- in incle ins indo s cle do becomes but paralysis The back backof of the patients patient's clothing is actIve exercIse IS cut away so that the physician or nurse can see how Another painful and the tho well the affected muscles are responding to the muscle muscle- patient will stop atop treatment stretching device be- be f If 11 he O Int isn't n en- en en encouraged through the mirror to go on We find tind the same condition after the removal of a plaster cast that has been worn for a 11 long time Through pro pro- prolonged prolonged prolonged longed inactivity the nerves and muscles become weak and active exercise is re- re reqUired required re required to strengthen them When a plas pias- plas- plas plaster plaster ter cast has been worn for years as sometimes happens in spinal disease the muscles lose not alone strength but also the habit of moving and they must be educated bere-educated educated re-educated to move in lD a certain way If for example a leg has been kept m in a plaster cast for many months and the cast is then removed and the patient tries to walk he finds that the leg is J i r 1 weak and he must wast throw the leg for for- forward forward for forward ward and watch his step while the healthy leg moves automatically with a certain regularity in time and dIstance In a few days the weak leg regains the habIt of keeping time with the tho other leg legand legand legand and regulates the length of its step so that he can walk without thinking about his step Formerly no attention iwas paid to the there education re education of muscles that had lost the tho habit of motion as it was as assumed that they would could regain the habit in time Now this re education is made part of the treatment and it is ia hastened by hav hav- having having ing the patient walk mirror ing ing used to straighten a badly curved spine spine in La the New York H Hospital for Joint Diseases Disease watching his step and the motion of the themo theto to mo legs lega education Re-education of the muscles is used in the effort to restore the tho normal gait gaitin gaitin JD in cases of ataxia In this disease the patient lose loses control over the lower limbs and when ho walks ho lie throws one leg forward letting the foot drop where it may be when he brings the Jt J JF F- F leg down then throwing mg the other leg forward the sane same way say ay The gait is a pitch h hof of the leg and a II drop of the foot wIthout regularity in m time or stride To improve e the gait glut footsteps are ara painted on the floor as they would could ap ap- ap rear fear in a normal gait and the patient Isi is I instructed u 0 o control the pitch of the th i j I leg so that the foot will drop upon the tho proper painted space Most ost patients are I able to control the foie with which they throw the leg forward ard and after repeat repeat- repeated repeated repeated 1 ed efforts they learn to use just enough l force I force to send the leg far enough to let the foot drop an 11 n the painted footstep The basic principle in this method of improving the gait is the same as in the I it use of the mirror The patient sees w hat I he is doing and finding some improve improve- improvement 1 m ment meat after each session he is 15 encouraged encouraged aged to keep it up 1 II Dr mirror cure has been found of service in m re educating re j tho muscles of If the foot after an opera opera- operation ilea hon for duo clue foot In this disease ier certain er- er ertain I tain tendons are too short and the foot lS is drawn up or sideways ays by these shortened short short- shortened shortened ened tendons The operation consists in stretching or partly cutting through the shortened j tendons placIng the foot in a normal po- po position po position and applying a plaster cast which fr- fr will keep the foot in this position until W the stretched or cut tendons heal After I t a few weeks the cast is removed The Tha foot is now j j i i 1 a normal position but tse te patient mm has ot not b been c accustomed accustomed t 1 d t to walk v k 1 A wIth the foot in that position and for a alow afew low fow days walking in m this trus position is awk awk- awkward awkward awkward ward This awkwardness disappears in in a few minutes if the the patient patIent can con watch in m the mIrror the motion of the feet while wIllie walk walk- ing walking The strangeness of the gait ill not disappear immediately but but haYIng latched the two t feet while hIle walking con con- confidence in the step is established These are but a few of the many uses to which the mirror can be x put in the tho treatment of deformities It establishes faith in the treatment and f faith th is half I the cure J E tl T F |