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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

BASIL O'CONNOR, Chairman
CASON J. CALLOWAY
CHARLES ENGELHARD
JEREMIAH MILBANK
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

CASON J. CALLOWAY La Grange, Georgia
CHARLES ENGELHARD, President, Hanovia Chemical & Manufacturing Co. New York City
JOHN C. HEGEMAN, President, Hegeman-Harris Co, Inc New York City
SAMUEL H. KRESS, Chairman of the Board, S H Kress & Co. New York City
LEIGHTON MCCARTHY, Chairman of the Board, The Canada Life Assurance Company Toronto, Canada
JEREMIAH MILBANK New York City
JAMES A. MOFFETT, Chairman of the Board, California Texas Oil Co., Ltd. New York City
KEITH MORGAN New York City
BASIL O'CONNOR, Lawyer New York City
HENRY POPE, President, Bear Brand Hosiery Chicago, Illinois
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT Washington, D. C.
CATOR WOOLFORD Atlanta, Georgia

STAFF AT WARM SPRINGS

MEDICAL DEPARTMENT

Chief Surgeon C.E. IRWIN, M.D.
Assistant to Chief Surgeon STUART RAPER, M.D.
General Physician J.A. JOHNSON, M.D.
Superintendent of Nurses MAMIE CLEGG, R.N.
Operating Room Nurse JUDY MORGAN, R.N.
Anesthetist ANITA C. BENTEEN, R.N.
X-Ray Technician JUDY MORGAN, R.N.
Corsetiere MRS, J.O. CALDWELL
Superintendent of Physical Therapy ALICE LOU PLASTRIDGE
Superintendent of Physical Therapy GENEVIEVE COLLINS

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

Comptroller LOUIS C. HAUGHEY
Accountant J. BRUCE WILLIAMS

ADMISSIONS OFFICE

Registrar FRED BOTTS

SCHOOL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY DEPARTMENT

Director of School ROBERT HOGG, M.A..
Director of Occupational Therapy Department JEANETTE NEAL

Brief History and Purpose

ACCORDING to historical records, the first white settlers pushed westward from the east coast of Georgia, reaching the warm springs shortly after 1825. Until the early 1840's, Warm Springs was a post tavern on the military highway leading to Columbus, Georgia.

The comparatively cool climate and the remarkable pool of warm water soon made the place a favorite summer resort. People from the coastal plain, the hot lowlands, sought the cool breezes of Warm Springs, and it became a noted carriage resort for the well-to-do people of that area.

In the early days, the warm water of the pool was piped into a number of small tanks or bathing tubs, and those who visited at the Meriwether Inn (demolished in 1934 to make way for Georgia Hall) bathed in these separate tiny pools.

Comparing the old Meriwether Inn, formerly used as a hotel, with Georgia Hall which replaced it (photographs of which appear elsewhere in this Report) will give a visual idea of the trend of progress at the Foundation since its organization.

Until the advent of the automobile, guests of Warm Springs were driven in state in a de luxe stage coach over a six mile scenic route from the railroad station to the Inn, although the station was but a half mile away by direct route.

As the automobile gradually came into favor and people could travel greater distances more rapidly, Warm Springs as a resort declined in popularity. It was a rather neglected resort, in fact, when in 1924 the possibilities of the natural facilities at Warm Springs, Georgia, for the hydro therapeutic treatment of the after-effects of infantile paralysis were brought to the attention of the Honorable Franklin D. Roosevelt who himself had been a victim of this disease.

Warm Springs has the natural advantages of climate, pleasant environment and an abundant supply of pure spring water, heated by nature to almost 90o F. as it flows from a depth of about 1500 feet at an almost constant rate of 800 gallons per minute and of such a quality that no enervation results from remaining for considerable periods in pools filled with this water. The water possesses no magical curative properties, neither does it have any particular medicinal qualities.

In the Spring of 1926, through the efforts of Mr. Roosevelt, experimental work under expert supervision was begun when 23 patients were placed under observation for periods of from 5 to 17 weeks. All seemed to make some improvement.

Under the guidance of Mr. Roosevelt, the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation was organized in 1927 as a non-stock, non-profit organization to develop an institution at Warm Springs, Georgia, to render service to those physically handicapped by infantile paralysis. The purpose of the service was two-fold:

First, to use the natural facilities of Warm Springs and the skill of an able, carefully selected professional staff for the direct aid of patients;

Second, to pass on to hospitals and the medical profession of the country any useful observations or special methods of proven merit resulting from this specialized work and which might be suitable for practical application elsewhere.

Both phases of the work are national in scope. Since the establishment of the Foundation, patients from every state in the United States, the Canadian Provinces, Argentina, Cuba, England, Germany, Hawaiian Islands, Honduras, Korea, Mexico, Philippine Islands, Puerto Rico and Venezuela have been in residence at Warm Springs for varying periods.