Hare: A Study of Handicapped Children 33 



An attempt was made to determine the kind and amount 

 of assistance contributed to these cases by a few of the 

 agencies. For example, the Charity Organization Society 

 sends visitors to the homes to learn as much as possible about 

 the true situation; the workers cooperate with Employment 

 Bureaus in attempting to solve the economic problem and 

 bring the families to help themselves ; material relief is given 

 with the arrangement that the man of the family shall ''work 

 it out", and in emergency cases coal and groceries and money 

 for rent are supplied freely. This description barely touches 

 the high spots of the aid given to the families of these crip- 

 pled children by the Charity Organization Society. Then, for 

 example, the Children's Aid Association contributes largely to 

 the assistance of the sick children. Milk is the only regular 

 material relief supplied by this organization, tho many kinds 

 of contributions are included besides. The chief connection 

 of these crippled children with the Children's Aid is thru the 

 arrangements for homes for many of the orphan cases, and 

 temporary homes for some of the state cases needing convales- 

 cent attention which would make it difficult for them to come 

 back and forth from their own distant homes. The counties 

 from which the children come are responsible for financing 

 their care, and the various counties pay the Children's Aid 

 certain amounts for the support of the children. There is a 

 state law fixing 40 cents per day as the rate for orphan chil- 

 dren's care, but this amount varies for individuals, as in many 

 cases the care of a badly crippled child requiring much atten- 

 tion is more expensive. On the whole, the relief agencies 

 in Indianapolis and thruout the state are evolving the more 

 scientific practice of trying to help the poor by solving and 

 adjusting the social problems than by giving material relief. 



Special agencies for the care of crippled children as dis- 

 tinguished from the care of other sick poor were first or- 

 ganized abroad. The first organization on record was founded 

 in 1840 in Wiirttemberg, Germany, and following this chrono- 

 logically societies developed in London in 1851 ; in Paris, 1853 ; 

 in Zurich, 1864; in Copenhagen, 1872 ; in Milan, 1873; in Dub- 

 lin, 1874. Pioneer scientific work was begun by the Copen- 

 hagen Institution, which soon developed widely, and included 

 a surgical depai'tment and industrial training department. 

 Due to the enormous number of rachitic children in Italy, or- 



