OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 127 



diagnosis of patient's ability and a medical officer's prescrip- 

 tion for curative work; (b) educational and occupational his- 

 tory of the patient; (c) psychological examination covering 

 general intelligence, special aptitudes, mental attitude and 

 ability to learn; (d) the interviewer's recommendation as to 

 future occupation and immediate training; (e) assignments to 

 curative work and data on the progress of the case. 



"The program for practical work on mental attitudes as 

 formulated in conference has been developed and modified in 

 accordance with the following scheme, the characteristics of 

 which are indicated below by the principal lines of endeavor: 

 (i) development of objective attitude, (2) development of 

 attitude of self-confidence, (3) development of the attitude of 

 individual responsibility, (4) development of the attitude of 

 social acceptability, and (5) developing the rationalizing atti- 

 tude. 



"As matters have developed, the most important single 

 agency for the direction and control of the mental attitude of 

 hospital patients has been the Reconstruction Aide in Occu- 

 pational Therapy. Approximately one thousand of these 

 aides, all of whom are women, are now engaged in domestic 

 and overseas hospitals. 



"Originally the occupational aides devoted themselves 

 to teaching handicrafts and the work began with what seemed 

 to many individuals trivial forms of occupation, but as it 

 progressed, new forms have been developed and important 

 changes have occurred. The following is a list of the chief 

 groups of craft work now taught in military hospitals: (i) 

 work with textile materials, as, for example, in weaving, knit- 

 ting, crocheting, netting, knotting, embroidery, and rug mak- 

 ing; (2) reed, cane and fiber work, as in basketry, chair caning, 

 etc.; (3) woodworking, as in carving, toy making, joinery, 

 etc.; (4) cardboard construction and binding, as in book- 

 binding, novelty box work, paper folding and pasting, etc.; 

 (5) work in applied pattern; (6) metal work; (7) work in 

 plastic materials; (8) leather work; and (9) work in drawing, 

 lettering and designing. 



"Reconstruction aides are now engaged, in addition to 



