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Where Infantile Paralysis Gets Its "Walking Papers"
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13 | My eyes took in the room in which we sat. There were sad deficiencies evident. This was the "flaw" in the otherwise golden dream. An old fashioned southern watering place had of a sudden taken on a new lease in life, and like the little lady about to make her debut into the social order of things, needed new dresses, trappings and accoutrements without number. I noticed that few of the walls had been plastered, but that white-wash over weather-boarding (inside and out) proved the leading motive. The screening was torn and rent asunder, and through the roof the night threatened through. From his reverie Mr. Loyless at last roused himself and voicing my thoughts, said; "Could the generous heart of the public but in part visualize this dream that Mr. Roosevelt and I share in common, what untold good could we not bring to this vast army of the Lame!" I had replied that the people would first have to be told of the possibilities here, and of the new "find," and then learning of the motive back of it all they would subscribe to every need. This would mean hard work and intelligent planning, he had answered, and then in an after-thought, added: "And I am far from being a well man."........Mr. Loyless had lived nearly a year longer, but could not have died without knowing that left alone in the hands of the Master-Mind, Mr. Franklin D. Roosevelt, and given a little time, their dream would perforce come true. And so it had happened. To-day the signs of the Resort Beautiful loom on every hand and the dream is coming true. | |
14 | The good people soon realized that I was tired and sleepy and I was forthwith, wheeled through to an adjoining room. Everything was in emaculate white --- white bed and white counterpane, white bowl and pitcher, and --- white-wash. How I had slept! | |
15 | The next morning I was out on the porch in the sun before breakfast. The picture lacked nothing. The grounds stretched away on all sides on a sort of plateau --- large step at the base of Pine Mountain. The trees fringed it round about. From the porch where I sat they were high overhead and stretching away to the left, to a distance of 200 yards, their tips were only visible where the lip of the plateau occured, and at the foot of which bubbled, the Spring. The Inn cottages, of typical southern architecture, were 15 in number and together with the Dance Pavilion, circled the rim of the plateau. The Inn, a large structure in yellow and green, rose to the right of me, and its spires and domes and sharp angles, and its hints of cloistral seclusion where the twining ivy closed from view, led one to imagine that all the shades of architecture, from the Renaissance on, reposed before him. A large green campus lay before me in the center of which played a fountain. Farther away other cottages showed through the trees, but these were privately owned, and the white-wash menace had not reached to them. | |
16 | It was near 10 o'clock when a car drove up and I was taken to the pool. I entered through a green latticed gate and there was the wonderful springs! How it bubbled up like a giant mushroom! A number of bathers were already disporting themselves in the pool. I was wheeled along the edge and introduced to them. Two of them were infantile patients who had arrived a day in advance of me - Mrs. Steiger, from Jefferson City, Mo., and Mr. Lambert Hirsheimer, Falmouth Heights, Mass. Mr. Roosevelt had not yet arrived at the pool. I was taken to a locker where two assistants finally got me into a bathing suit. I was wheeled out into the sunlight and lowered into the pool. As they lowered me away nobody would have shot these gentlemen had they chanted "dust to dust -- ashes to ashes," etc., for I was so ignominiously white and angular and thin as to justify most any tragic end most any day. I was draped with three tubes to keep me from sinking, but I think it was mostly forsight of the assistants to keep me from being drawn through the over-flow pipe. | |
17 | The water was of the most pleasing temperature --- not so cold that it would chill a person, nor so warm that it would enervate, I paddled around with my hands and was surprised with what little ease I could move my legs. Because of the light mineralization of the water it was pleasant to drink, and we were told to drink it by the quart. There was also noticeable at once an extra buoyancy to the swimmer. According to Fitch in his book, "Mineral Waters of the United States, and American Spas," the water is lightly mineralized, thermic, calcic, magnesic, bicarbonated alkaline water, possessing antacid, diuretic, and slightly tonic properties. Besides, there is a feeling abroad that it may be radioactive. | |
18 | It was great sport just paddling and floating around. Soon Mr. Roosevelt's cheery "Good Morning!" sounded on the air and in a few minutes he had joined us in the pool. At once we were told and shown a series of exercises he had worked out. It was "Catch hold of the bar this way" --- now swing --- in and out --- Hard! harder! that's it --- that's fine! Now - again, this way ----," and so through the entire regime of things he had worked out that morning. It was all along the line of lending to the affected limb and muscles the normal actions as near as possible. We were told to concentrate hard on every action and movement. The gentle caress of the water as we moved our limbs through it had a most stimulating effect. Swimming applies a gentle massage to the entire body. Also, that gravity is entirely eliminated in the water plus a slight resistance to every movement, makes this form of exercise most ideal. Then it was to sun bathe, lying in the sun getting the rays direct on our bodies. (Soon I know why the villager had said I would soon look like the "tanned side of a buffalo hide." This Georgia sun was a most intimate creature.) |