CRIPPLED CHILDREN 
ALASKA’S 
PHOTO BY SITKA STUDIOS 
What Is Her Future Worth? All children, regardless of race or creed 
if they are under 21 and living in Alaska, are eligible 
for care under the Crippled Children’s Program of 
the Alaska Department of Health. 
Who are crippled children 
Children who have 
• Crooked legs 
• Crooked backs 
• Cleft lips or palates 
• Birth deformities 
• Serious burns or birthmarks 
• Rheumatic fever or 
infantile paralysis 
What care is available to them? 
Present funds provide for only 1 out of 7 crippled 
children known to be needing care. Crippled children's clinic 
Every year the orthopedic surgeon holds clinics 
around Alaska to examine crippled children. Here 
he looks at the club feet of a two-year-old girl whose 
mother has given permission to send her to Mt. 
Edgecumbe Orthopedic Hospital at Sitka. 
This hospital is operated by the Alaska Native 
Service in cooperation with the Alaska Department 
of Health. PHOTO BY SITKA STUDIOS 
plane to Sitka 
A friendly worker from the Alaska Crippled Chil- 
dren’s Association greets new arrivals for the 
hospital. 
All hospital expenses are paid by the Depart- 
ment of Health, with funds from the Federal and 
Territorial governments and the A.C.C.A. Travel 
expenses are shared with the A.N.S. A new home and friends 
Mt. Edgecumbe is more like a home than a hospital 
The new child soon makes friends, who play with 
him while he has to stay in bed. When he is physic- 
ally able, he can visit other wards and rooms. Vol- 
unteers from the A.C.C.A. bring games and handi- 
work and read to the children. A light-weight cast 
Tuberculosis has attacked this boy’s ankle. A plaster 
cast of extra-light material holds the ankle straight 
while it rests and grows strong again. 
A special machine blows warm air around the 
cast and dries the plaster quickly. Exercises under water 
Water supports arms and legs, makes it easier to 
use injured muscles. (President Roosevelt took this 
kind of exercise to strengthen his legs.) This worker 
a trained physiotherapist teaches weakened 
muscles to work again by means of special exercises. 
The physiotherapy equipment at Mt. Edge- 
cumbe equals that of any orthopedic hospital in the 
United States. An early case can be cured 
This baby with tuberculosis of the spine lies for 
months on a special frame to straighten her back. Having fun is part of the cure 
Games, art work, carving, handicrafts and music 
keep young hands and minds alert and busy. 
Patients who can play musical instruments en- 
tertain the other children with songs and concerts. Good food mends bones and muscles 
A well-balanced diet, prepared in a modern kitchen, 
is a necessary part of the treatment. Proper food 
is especially important in the care of tuberculosis. Food for the mind 
Some of the children continue their studies while 
at the hospital. Books and instruction are furnished 
by volunteers from the A.C.C.A. 
Children who are able go to classes at nearby 
Mt. Edgecumbe School. Time flies when hands are busy 
These toys and gifts were made by the girls, with 
the guidance of a trained handicraft worker paid 
by the Alaska Tuberculosis Association. 
The handiwork is suited to the physical con- 
dition and age of each child and teaches them in- 
teresting skills. The purpose of all work and play 
at the hospital is to help the children get well. Happy ending 
This little boy came in on crutches. After months of 
care, the last cast is taken off—he will walk away 
on sturdy legs. 
In one year the orthopedic surgeon has: applied 155 casts, 
performed 138 major operations, given 309 mail consultations 
with physicians in other parts of Alaska, examined 321 patients. For every child in the hospital there are 
six who need hospital care now 
Only 116 children, both white and native, re- 
ceived hospital care during 1948, under the Crippled 
Children’s Program of the Alaska Department of 
Health. 
76 in Mt. Edgecumbe Orthopedic Hospital 
24 in Seattle hospitals 
16 in the University of Chicago's hospital 
They are getting the best of care—but 
116 hospital beds a year are not enough Many children whose illness has been found in time 
are waiting for a place in the hospital. While they 
wait they are losing their chance for normal life. 
100 new cases were registered last year. Every 
week, physicians notify the Orthopedic Hospital 
of children needing immediate care. 
Orthopedic care is long and expensive 
How long? 
For most children a year at least in the hospital. 
Then one or two years *of periodic observation 
and treatment, during which they must be near 
the hospital. 
How expensive? 
For one child, for one year, about $3500 
Early Treatment Saves: 
For the child 
Suffering and permanent disability. 
For the Territory 
Expensive treatment for advanced cases. He is in the hospital, getting well 
What about the ones who couldn’t get in? 
Produced by the Crippled Children’s Division of the Alaska Department of Health in co-operat'ion with the 
Alaska Crippled Childrens Association and the Alaska Tuberculosis Association