Thompson: The Cardiac Case 



27 



CASE MR. M. This man presented quite a different problem 

 so far as obtaining rest was concerned. He was taken to tlie 

 hospital for treatment. He was gaining gradually, but his mind 

 was not at ease. His wife could not, or would not, realize that 

 he was a sick man. She rebelled at the idea of getting along on 

 a reduced income. He worried over these conditions until he 

 could stand it no longer and then left the hospital against the 

 doctor's wishes, to return to work. He is now doing heavy work, 

 and the doctor predicts a serious break in the next few years, 

 if some other plans are not made. 



Nor do men have all the difficulty in following the doctor's 

 orders to rest. The woman with a home to keep up and several 

 small children to care for has an equally hard task. Rest means 

 absolute relief from work and exercise. Sometimes the children 

 must be boarded out with friends or relatives in order to carry 

 out directions. Again, a neighbor may be hired to care for the 

 children. In fact, all kinds of shifts have to be made. 



When the treatment is given in a hospital the task is different 

 but difficult. It means much for a woman to consent to leave her 

 husband and children for an indetinite length of time. 



CASE MRS. A. This woman was told one day that hospital 

 care was all that would benefit her. An ambulance was called 

 and she was taken to tlie City Hospital. Her husband took the 

 baby there to see her and then took it to the home of his parents 

 to be cared for until the mother was well. That has been over 

 two years and the baby is still with the grandparents. The 

 mother has recovered to a certain extent, but it has never seemed 

 best to change the existing plans. Rest in this case caused the 

 family ties to be severed. What is still more to be regretted, the 

 family has slumped into a state of almost total dependence and 

 near-pauperism. 



CASE MRS. W. A poor widow was told to go to the hospital 

 for the second time. She was grief-stricken and considered it an 

 impossibility. Was it because she had a dread of the hospital? 

 Had she been ill treated before? Were there small children 

 needing her care? None of these. Her grief was caused by a 

 grown son. AVhen she was in the hospital before this son had 

 fallen into bad company, and she feared the same would hap])en 

 again. The social worker finally waived this objection and she 

 took the needed treatment. She is now very well and happy. 



