September, 1957 P H Y S I O T H E R A P Y Page Three C^ontenti. Council Resume ........................................ Editorial ......................... ................ The Problem of Trauma in the Low Back General ..................................................... N .C.C.C. Vacation Course Facial Palsy ............................ ................ Branch News, Births, Etc............................... Treatment Notes ........................................ W orm’s Eye View ............... ................ Relaxation ..................................................... World Confederation ... ................ Situations V acant ........................................ Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 6 Page 7 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 17 EDITORIAL The South A frican Society o f Physiotherapy has grown a long way from the first Conference held in Cape Town in 1925. We are now a membership o f well over 300 and about to hold our first Council meeting. W hat have we achieved? On reflection one could say that much has been done but there still remains more and more to do. Since that first inception, the members have tried to protect the interests of the Profession and the Public. F o r this reason there has developed a close liaison with the (South African Medical and D ental Council, who have for many years sought our assistance and advice in registration and other m atters pertaining to Physiotherapy. Two schools have been inaugurated. In 1937 the University of the W itwatersrand opened its doors to the first group o f Physiotherapy students, and 12 years later we welcomed the establishment o f the Pretoria H ospital School o f Physiotherapy. Now in January o f next year a School is to be started in Cape Town and the Society would like to offer its best wishes for every success. The Society’s Constitution has twice been under review, first in 1933 and again in 1955, when it was brought up to date with a growing need. F rom a handful of C.S.P. members in Cape Town, the Society has a cosmopolitan membership distributed through the country by nine branches, the youngest o f which is a branch formed a m onth ago at Pietermaritzburg. The struggle for uniformity and improvement in salaries and working conditions in Government and Provincial employment is reflected in the inevitable reappearance of the subject on Conference agendas through the years. The interests and problems o f the Private practitioners are many and there has been the closest co-operation and assistance given at all times. Our affiliation and association with such other Auxilary Organisations and the N ational Council for the Care of Cripples, the N ational Council for the Blind, and the N ational Council o f W omen has won us m utual respect and co-operation. O ur membership with the W orld Confederation for Physical Therapy is the link with our professional colleagues internationally and permits us the privilege o f a most valuable liaison. Yes, much has been done. We are an established respected Society, but not strong enough; our total membership is not a true reflection of the total num ber of professional Physiotherapists in South Africa. It is only through unity we can gain strength. We are jealous o f our profession and therefore each one o f us is com m itted to protect it, the best protection being by all standing together, and what better stand can be made than through the Society. R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. )