While Veterans engaged in activities and learned trades at the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS) since its inception after the Civil War, formal occupational therapy (OT) programs became components of rehabilitative care for Veterans beginning in the 20th century.
Defined as any activity, physical or mental, which is prescribed by a physician to hasten recovery from a disease or injury, OT treatments helped Veterans regain dexterity and enhance their quality of life.
The objects featured in this exhibit are from the collections of the National VA History Center (NVAHC). These artifacts tell us the history of a type of care that is still making an impact in Veterans' lives today.
Souvenirs
The initial idea of engaging Veterans in jobs and trades was championed by NHDVS Central Branch Matron Emma Miller.
Not only did these activities aid in individual recovery, but they also benefited the men living on campus, as well as support tourism to the campus. Products produced were either used to sustain the campuses themselves or sold locally as souvenirs.
Right: Home Store at the Central Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.
Coin Purse
Thousands of people visited NHDVS campuses as tourists.
One such tourist, Veteran Otto Brigel, served in the Civil War with the 28th Ohio Infantry. He likely picked up this coin purse when visiting the Central Branch of the NHDVS sometime between 1900 and his death in 1920.
Mary Sivik, Briegel's great great granddaughter, generously donated the coin purse, which is now a part of the collection at the National VA History Center.
Left: Handmade abalone coin purse made at the Central Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (VA).
Post World War I Occupational Therapy
From these roots in the 19th century, occupational therapy grew into a formalized professional field. In the early 20th century, it was implemented on a wide scale during World War I in Army hospitals.
After the war, OT programs were widely adopted in Veterans hospitals and NHDVS campuses.
In a 1928 speech before the American Occupational Therapy Association, Colonel James Mattison, Chief Surgeon of the NHDVS, called OT “The physicians strongest aid the treatment of various forms of disease.”
Benefits to Veterans
OT treatments aided Veterans recovering from numerous ailments including tuberculosis, mental health issues, blindness, limb loss, and more.
Encompassing a wide and diverse range of activities, therapies for patients included printing, weaving, jewelry making, leather work, cobbling, tailoring, and farming, among many others.
Patients were prescribed treatment according to their specific interests and abilities. The goal of the treatment was to return their dexterity and mobility as well as to distract their minds from wartime experiences, leading patients to lead a more independent life.
Left: Veterans working on leatherwork while a therapist watches their progress. (Dayton Daily News, November 1954)
This is a No. 401 Model Floor Loom manufactured by JL Hammett Co. This style of loom was sold throughout the early 20th century, and similar models are featured in catalogs from the time for being “made with special reference to the needs of the hospitals for use with the disabled soldier.”
Right: Side view of a large wooden floor loom, containing a piece of weaving made with red, white, and blue yarn. (VA)
This model in the collection differs from models in early catalogs due to the addition of two vertical beams placed onto the main mechanism of the loom. This modification is likely meant to assist disabled Veterans in the operation of the loom. Our floor loom still contains a piece of weaving left on it by the last Veteran to have used it at Mountain Home.
Right: Top view of a large wooden floor loom, containing a piece of weaving. (VA)
Table looms in weaving shops would have allowed Veterans to learn how to weave and make smaller textiles without the need of a large floor loom. The table-top model allowed Veterans to participate in weaving regardless of mobility: no foot pedals required!
Right: A wooden tabletop loom. Strands of yarn and a partially completed textile are left in the machine. (VA)
Veterans at therapy
In letterpress shops like the one at Mountain Home, moveable type was locked together in a metal frame called a chase. The final composition is known as a “type form” and was stored in metal trays before being placed into a letterpress machine to be printed.
Left: A green-painted metal frame holds together moveable type, wooden blocks, and metal quoins together into a rectangular form. (VA)
This form was used to print Interim Progress Notes for Veteran’s therapy at Mountain Home. Containing fields to record patient status, progress, goals, and a plan for the Veteran’s therapy. It is dated to March of 1990, evidence that the print shop at Mountain Home was in use well into the late 20th Century.
Left: A zoomed in and reversed image of the type form, showing the words “Therapy, Interim Progress Note” at the header, and a numbered list of patient progress notes. (VA)
This medical label was produced at the VA Pharmacy Center in Mountain Home, TN. It was printed using stamps with thin aluminum frames that allowed multiple blocks of text and image to be used on a single label.
Left: A paper medicine label that reads in pink text “Unna’s Boot, For external use only” in the first block and then “Veterans Administration Center, Pharmacy Service, Mountain Home, Tennessee” in second block. The second block of text is bounded on either side by the VA seal and another logo or insignia. (VA)
This rubber stamp was used to print the VA Pharmacy Logo at the bottom of each medicine label produced at Mountain Home. The stamp's design allowed it to be used for different kinds of medicines.
Left: A black rubber stamp showing the reverse image of the VA Pharmacy Service logo on the previous label. (VA)
The press was bolted to a workbench and used to print a variety of materials at Mountain Home. Finished type forms were stored in galleys on the left side of the bench.
Right: 1944 workbench made by the Hamilton Manufacturing Company. This model features storage for galleys and other supplies for letterpress printing. (VA)
At Mountain Home and beyond, formal occupational therapy programs gave Veterans a sense of productivity. The structure added to their daily lives helped rehabilitate them from the physical and mental effects of war. The universal success of these programs led VA to expand its commitment to a wide array of rehabilitative therapies. Today, VA currently employs more than 2,000 occupational therapists and certified occupational therapy assistants, the most in the nation.
Left: David Benthall, OT, visits with a Veteran proudly demonstrating woodworking project. (VA)