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Indiana University Studies 



CASE MRS. H. This woman has had heart trouble for sev- 

 eral years. Every few mouths rest is necessary. Hospital care 

 has not been necessary here, for the needed care has usually been 

 arranged for in the home or with friends and relatives. Twice 

 within a few years she has taken her children and gone to another 

 state to visit relatives until she could regain strength. She is 

 intelligent enough to know that she must care for herself if she 

 wishes to rear her family of children. 



In all these cases the patient is first told about his condition. 

 Yes, really told that he has heart trouble, but also informed that 

 it is not the dire and dreaded calamity it was once thought to 

 be. As Dr. Cabot has said, there is a difference between "telling 

 the truth and conveying the truth". If he were told that his 

 heart was diseased and nothing else to give hope for the future, 

 what benefit could be derived from treatment? Every possible 

 aid is given to make his adjustment to life easier. He is shown 

 that he must face the world with a handicap just as the victim of 

 a wreck must face the world with but one arm. After the com- 

 plete understanding has been established and treatment started, 

 the future must be i)lanned for. 



Treatment does not end with getting the patient out of bed. 

 It must go on into the future occupation, recreation, and home 

 life. 



A child usually presents a very difficult problem because the 

 family must be educated before the patient can be handled. It 

 is often hard to get the mother to see that "minding the baby" 

 can be just as injurious to the child as work to the grown-up. 



CASE R. One little girl was taken safely thru the hospital 

 treatment and period of convalescence. She had been out of 

 school for some time, but had arrived at the place where school 

 work would not be injurious. Plans were made for her to enter 

 school and, if j)ossible, to obtain enough education to serve her 

 when she tried to obtain work suitable for a cardiac patient. 

 Every time she was visited she was found taking care of a sister's 

 baby, but the mother contended she was not able to go to school. 

 No results have been obtained because the mother cannot see that 

 the girl has a future that should be planned for. 



CASE S. The mother of this girl understands that her daugh- 

 ter will not be able to do heavy work in the future. She has had 

 a very hard time iu a financial way, but always has managed 



