Social Service and the Art of Healing

Dr. Richard Cabot describes how successful treatment of patients in the modern world requires teamwork between doctor, social workers, and educators.

Writing in 1909, much of what the author describes is a forerunner to treatments and medical services seen in the modern day; the connection between medical conditions and outpatient care in the community is well-established. Ideas regarding physical rehabilitation, and reintegration into the community, are vital for the health of the society. Notions of public health, whereby preventative medicine and care in the community is promoted and delivered, were at a far simpler stage when Dr. Cabot published his assessments.

For medical practitioners and social workers in the modern day, this book acts as both a historical record and as an impression of how injury and disease were handled in the period. At the time, "social work" was associated more with charities than with government agencies funded for the public good. The past ravages of fearful illnesses such as typhoid and tuberculosis are clear; it is certain that containment and treatment of these ailments is a matter of educating the population. As such, Cabot's writings are a prospectus of care, a list of ideas and concepts that could contribute to a healthier, happier populace.