128 REPORT OF THE PSYCHOLOGY COMMITTEE 



the teaching of crafts work, as teachers of commercial arith- 

 metic and technical subjects. The chief value of the crafts 

 work in military hospitals is psychological. The other sub- 

 jects have strictly educational values. 



"In this connection there should be mentioned the ser- 

 vices of psychologists in measuring the progress of improve- 

 ment in voluntary movement of disabled joints. This work, 

 which was initiated originally at the Walter Reed General 

 Hospital under the immediate direction of the late Professor 

 Baird, has been introduced in several other military hospitals. 



"A recent addition to the personnel of the Educational 

 Service is the medical social worker, who has been brought 

 into the hospital through the Psychological Division as a 

 direct result of the second conference called by Chairman Bag- 

 ley. The position of the social worker is now definitely estab- 

 lished and her duties defined by a circular letter of instruc- 

 tions issued by the Surgeon General on January i8, 1919. 

 From this letter the following sentences are quoted to indi- 

 cate the scope of her service: 'It is thought that Reconstruc- 

 tion Aides operating as medical social workers may be avail- 

 able: (i) in assisting to coordinate the various educational 

 and related activities within the hospital so that they may 

 serve a larger number of patients more efficiently; (2) by 

 bringing to the attention of outside agencies, such as the Home 

 Service of the Red Cross, the Y. M. C. A., the Knights of 

 Columbus, the Jewish Welfare Association, the Federal Board, 

 etc., the cases of soldiers who are in need of the types of ser- 

 vice which these agencies are prepared to render; (3) in assist- 

 ing medical officers as desired to secure such personal and 

 social data about the patient as will assist in accurate diag- 

 nosis; and (4) in rendering such other services as may be 

 assigned to them . . . '" 



8. Committee on Psychological Problems of Incapacity^ in- 

 cluding those of Shell-shock and Reeducation. — The Council 

 of the American Psychological Association originally author- 

 ized this committee under the chairmanship of S. I. Franz, 

 and also a Committee on "Psychological problems of voca- 

 tional characteristics and vocational advice" with J. B. Wat- 



