very interesting and enlightening to read from someone who doesn't know much about occupational therapy. :) Naz --- Ron Carson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello: > > A while back, I wrote Merriam-Webster about > the history of the word > 'occupation'. Below is their response. > > Ron > > ----- > > This is a forwarded message > From: Judy Yeh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 > Subject: History of the word "occupation" > > =================Original message > text=============== > > "Occupation" is related to the word "occupy," and > both words ultimately > come from the same Latin root word meaning "to > seize, to possess or take > up." An occupation is a taking up of something: > occupation of another > country is the taking up or seizing of land; an > occupation in the sense > of "an activity" is something that takes up one's > time; occupation > meaning "a vocation, profession, employment" is the > taking up of one's > time, energies, and life. > > This word is very old, and has been in use for > centuries. "Occupation" > in the sense of "employment, business, and/or an > activity" has been > around since the 1300s at least and was used by > authors like Chaucer. > > However, "occupational" is more recent. The _Oxford > English Dictionary_ > gives a citation for it from 1850, and I am unaware > of any earlier > appearances of this word. > > As for the naming of occupational therapy...I should > begin by saying > that I don't know much about occupational therapy, > but from reading > several Web pages about the history of occupational > therapy and related > disciplines put up by college students studying > occupational therapy > (like > > http://www.ceap.wcu.edu/hhp/students/JeffMansfield/archive/rthistory.html > http://www.angelfire.com/ut/otpsych/history.html > http://tiger.towson.edu/users/ptappe1/historyOT.htm > > I drew these conclusions: > > 1) Occupational therapy is rooted in efforts in the > 1700s and 1800s to > improve the well-being of mentally ill and infirm > people. > > 2) These forerunners of modern-day occupational > therapists tried to make > the lives of the mentally ill and infirm more > fulfilling by finding them > activities to *occupy* their time and teaching them > skills that would be > useful in an *occupation*. > > 3) Nowadays, occupational therapy is concerned with > rehabilitating > sufferers of physical illness: injuries (often > obtained at work--one's > *occupation*), disabilities, and infirmity. (Perhaps > the field of > occupational therapy expanded in the US after > soldiers returned from the > first World War?) > > 4) Someone claimed on the Internet that George > Edward Barton was the > originator of the term "occupational therapy" > (http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&th=61e953aaa46c2c35&rnum=1). > I can't prove or disprove his assertion at the > moment, > but you may find the writing I linked to to be > interesting reading. > > In any case, it seems to me that occupational > therapy is called just > that because of its focus on activity, compared to, > say, physical > therapy. A physical therapist would help a victim of > a car accident > regain muscle tone in his or her legs and the > ability to walk, but an > occupational therapist would teach the person how to > climb a ladder, how > to go up and down stairs, etc. > > I think one reason why occupational therapy remains > unknown is that it > is often confused with physical therapy. But as the > population > (especially the "baby boomer" segment) ages, > knowledge of occupational > therapy will probably spread, since more people will > find themselves > needing the services of occupational therapists. > > I hope I have been helpful. Thank you for writing to > Merriam-Webster. > > Sincerely, > > Judy Yeh > Assistant Editor > Merriam-Webster, Inc. > 47 Federal Street, P.O. Box 281 > Springfield, MA 01102 > Phone: 413-734-3134, ext. 133 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.Merriam-Webster.com > http://www.WordCentral.com > http://www.merriam-websterunabridged.com > http://www.merriam-webstercollegiate.com > > > > > ==============End of original message > text=========== > > > _______________________________________________ > To unsubscribe, visit: > http://otnow.com/mailman/listinfo/otlist_otnow.com > > The OTnow Mail Archive: > www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] > ===============================================
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