Physical Medicine, at one time a section of the Department of Roentgenology, was reorganized as the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 1950 under the Acting Chairmanship of James W. Rae. He was made Chairman in 1953.
The then existing quarters on what is now the second level of the eastern wing of the Main Hospital were extensively remodeled, with the abandonment of the therapeutic pool in order to accommodate new and expanded activities planned for this new department.
The professional and technical staffs were enlarged and a training school for technical personnel was created. A residency program was begun which now accepts three 3-year trainees a year. The staff at the time the department was created consisted of four physical therapists and two occupational therapists.
There are now 18 full-time physical therapists and 14 full-time occupational therapists. In the year 1970-71 there were 36,055 patient visits for medical evaluations and physical theraphy and 20,135 for occupational therapy. Over 300 patients go through the department per day.
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation was established in 1952. This division is not a part of the department but the nature of its services demands that it work closely with Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation.
The Orthotics Research Division was established in 1956 and continues to expand into related fields as well as medicine. Orthotic Research is conducted in cooperation with a bioengineering program of the College of Engineering. In effect, the department provides a laboratory where engineering students can work with life scientists.
Electromyographic examinations have tripled in the last ten years and doubled in the past six. The income from this phase of departmental activities has exceeded $100,000 in the past decade. There were 157 electromyographic examinations in 1955 and 1,922 in 1970. A third fully shielded room for this type of examination is now being equipped.
A ward of 13 beds, assigned to the department in 1962 for adult rehabilitation patients, continues to be fully occupied. At Parkview Medical Facility, acquired in 1968, the department has 26 inpatient beds for its psycho-social vocational program.
In 1963 the department was completely renovated and tripled in size to nearly 35,000 square feet. In these modern quarters the many rehabilitation services of the Medical Center are brought together in one area, including social work, psychological testing, prevocation testing, vocational counseling, orthotic and prosthetic appliance provision, orthotic research, speech and hearing evaluation and treatment.
The speech and hearing science section of the department was added in July 1969. Clinical practice is provided in the Speech Clinic, a unit of the section, which includes a children's division, an audiology division, and a student adult division. This latter supervises an aphasic unit, which provides intensive speech therapy for 10 weeks during each trimester for 12 to 14 aphasic patients in residence.
The Speech and Hearing Camp, provides postgraduate credit and intensive clinical experience for 16 to 20 students in a camp setting. It operates for eight weeks each summer at Camp Shady Trails, located at Northport, Michigan. The camp enrolls approximately 120 handicapped boys, ages eight to eighteen.
The Orthotic-Prosthetic Appliance Section became part of the department in 1970. This section is completely equipped and staffed to provide custom-designed and standard appliances and clinical services to Medical Center patients.
Fred J. Hodges
The University of Michigan, an Encyclopedic Survey Supplement, Page 201, 202
