jUNIE 1978 editorial F I S I O T E R A P I E THE CHARTERED SOCIETY OF PLACUTHERAPY a re ce n t a rtic le b y a d istin g u ish e d B ritish a n a e sth e tist, Michael V ick ers ( W o r ld M e d ic in e 22 F e b r u a ry 1978, 13, 4 3 ) discusses th e “ esse n tia l s c h iz o p h re n ia o f p h y s io ­ therapy” a n d re fe rs to th e “sc ie n tific m u m b o -ju m b o o f the p h y s io th e ra p y d e p a rtm e n t, d o in g n o th in g m o re fo r t(,e p a tie n t th a n c o u ld a ju d ic io u s ly a p p lie d h o t-w a te r bottle”- I t is a so m e w h a t m u d d le d a rtic le , ra n g in g f r o m a c u p u n c t u r e to c h e s t p h y s io th e ra p y , b u t se v e ra l p o in ts are w o rth n o tin g . T h e a u th o r h a s a n a m b iv a le n t a ttitu d e to p h y s io ­ therapy- H e ta lk s a b o u t p h y s io th e ra p is ts p e r fo r m in g a n essen tia l s e rv ic e b u t sn e e rs a t th e ir u n s c ie n tific u s e o f such m o d a litie s as u ltr a s o u n d a n d d ia th e rm y , a n d a t breathing exercises. H e says th a t “ a lo t o f w h a t th e y do js b u ilt o n sc ien tific s a n d ” . O n e m ig h t o f c o u rs e re p ly t^at o u r m e d ic a l c o lle a g u e s a ls o o fte n b u ild o n sa n d » this sense. T h e y do n o t re a lly k n o w h o w d ig ita lis J d m o r p h in e w o rk , a n d th e y h a v e a rg u e d f o r h a lf a lifetime o v e r th e s u rg e ry o f p e p tic u lc e r. H o w e v e r it is not th e in te n tio n o f th is J o u r n a l to ta k e issu e w ith learned a n a e s th e tis ts , b u t s im p ly to p o in t o u t th a t, however h e a v y o u r w o rk lo a d , so m e o f us m u s t find tim e for re se a rc h in to th e re a so n s f o r o u r tre a tm e n t a n d th e effectiveness o f it. U n le ss w e — a n d m o re im p o rta n t, our stu d e n ts — a p p r o a c h e v e ry ty p e o f tre a tm e n t w ith a h ig h ly c ritic a l a ttitu d e , w e sh a ll c o n tin u e to b u ild o n sand. I t is n o t e n o u g h to a s s e rt t h a t su c h a n d such a tre a tm e n t is g o o d f o r s p ra in e d a n k le s o r stiff ne ck s; we m u st p ro v e i t e ith e r b y e s ta b lis h in g a n d v e rify in g a h y p o th e s is a b o u t th e m e c h a n is m o f a c tio n o r b y making ra n d o m iz e d c o n tro lle d stu d ie s o f m e a s u ra b le param eters to d e m o n s tra te its effectiveness, e v e n if w e do n o t k n o w h o w it w o rk s. J o u r n a ls su c h as o u rs s h o u ld publish re s e a rc h as w ell a s te a c h in g a rtic le s. T he se c o n d p o i n t a b o u t th e a r tic le is t h a t th e a u th o r re a lly d o e s n o t se e m to k n o w w h a t p h y s io th e r a p is ts do, a p a r t f r o m c h est p h y s io th e ra p y . A t th e ris k o f b o rin g re a d e rs, it m u s t b e re p e a te d th a t p h y s io th e ra p is ts a re p a r tly r e s p o n s ib le f o r th is s a d s ta te o f a ffa irs. I t is tr u e th a t m o s t d o c to rs h a v e s h o w n little e a g e rn e ss to le a rn a b o u t p h y s io th e r a p y a n d h a v e b e e n a ll to o re a d y to se n d th e i r p r o b le m p a tie n ts e ith e r to th e p s y c h ia tris t o r th e p h y s io th e ra p is t. A s V ic k e rs so rig h tly sa y s: “ A s u su a l, it is o u r o w n fa u lt. I t is to o e asy to p re s c rib e p h y s io th e ra p y , p a r ti c u la r ly w h e n n o ra tio n a l tre a tm e n t w h ic h is lik e ly to b e o f b e n efit su g g e sts i ts e lf ” . Q u ite so, a n d s u c h a n a tti tu d e is n o t lik e ly to b e n e fit a n y o n e a t a ll; in p a r ti c u la r , it is n o t g o in g to a d v a n c e th e sc ien c e o f p h y s io th e ra p y . Im a g in e th e o u tc ry if p h y s i­ c ia n s r e fe r r e d p a tie n ts to su rg e o n s a s k in g th e la tte r to p e r fo r m a n o p e r a tio n a s a p la c e b o . B u t p h y s io th e ra p is ts , u n lik e su rg e o n s, h a v e te n d e d in th e p a st to a c c e p t m e e k ly r e fe r r a ls f o r w h a t is o b v io u s ly f i a c e b o th e ra p y , in s te a d o f sta n d in g firm a n d try in g to e d u c a te th e i r m e d ic a l co lle ag u e s. T h e V ic k e rs a r tic le w as e v id e n tly in s p ire d b y a re c e n t le tte r f r o m th e C h a r te r e d S o c iety o f P h y s io th e ra p y in th e U K to th e F a c u lty o f A n a e s th e tis ts , in w h ic h it w as su g g e ste d t h a t if a c u p u n c tu r e w e re to b e c o m e a n a p p r o v e d f o r m o f tre a tm e n t in th e N a tio n a l H e a lth S e rv ice , p h y s io th e r a p is ts s h o u ld b e tra in e d to use it. S in c e V ic k e rs lik e m a n y o th e r p e o p le re g a rd s a c u p u n c ­ tu r e as a f o r m o f th e r a p y d e v o id o f a n a n a to m ic a l o r p h y s io lo g ic a l b a sis, h e su g g ests th a t th e tim e o f p h y s io ­ th e ra p is ts s h o u ld n o t b e w a ste d o n it. I t m ig h t b e f a rm e d o u t to a n e w b o d y , th e C h a r te r e d S o c ie ty o f P la c u th e ra p y , w h o m ig h t also ta k e o v e r th e o th e r p la c e b o a sp e c ts o f p h y s io th e ra p y , a n d lea v e t h e g e n u in e s c ien tific (o r a t le a s t ra tio n a l) p a r t to th e p h y s io th e r a ­ p ist. T h e su g g e stio n is n o t w ith o u t m e rit. W O R L D C O N G R E S S O F R E H A B IL IT A T IO N IN T E R N A T IO N A L T h e F o u r te e n t h W o rld C o n g re ss o f R e h a b il ita t io n In te rn a tio n a l w ill b e h e ld in W in n ip e g , C a n a d a , f r o m 22nd to 2 7 th J u n e 1980, h o s te d b y th e C a n a d ia n R e ­ h a b ilita tio n C o u n c il f o r th e .D isa b le d . T h e th e m e o f th e Congress is “ P r e v e n tio n — I n te g r a tio n : P r i o r i ti e s fo r the E ig h tie s ” . S ix p re -C o n g re ss s e m in a rs w ill b e h e ld d u rin g th e week p re c e d in g th e C o n g re ss — A n E d u c a tio n s e m in a r in V a n c o u v e r, a T e c h n ic a l A id s s e m in a r in O tta w a , a M edical s e m in a r in K in g s to n e , O n ta rio , a V o c a tio n a l C om m ission s e m in a r in T o r o n to a n d th e s e m in a rs o f the S o c ia l C o m m is s io n a n d o n O r g a n iz a tio n a n d A d ­ m in is tra tio n in W in n ip e g . T h e tw o m a in p le n a ry se ssio n s o f th e C o n g re ss w ill be d e v o te d to p r e v e n tio n a n d to in te g r a tio n b u t in a d d itio n tw o m a jo r w o rk s h o p s w ill b e h e ld — o n e o n D isa b ility a n d th e F a m ily a n d th e o th e r o n P a r tic i p a ­ tio n o f D is a b le d P e o p le in th e R e h a b ilita tio n P ro c e ss. S e c tio n a l M e e tin g s a n d S p e c ia l In te r e s t S e ssio n s w ill a lso b e h e ld . T h e 1980 W o r ld C o n g re ss sy m b o l c o n sists o f se rie s o f in te rlo c k in g circles. T h e s m a ll c irc le s r e p re ­ se n t in te g r a tio n o f th e d isa b le d , th e la rg e c irc le s re p re ­ se n t g lo b a l in te g r a tio n a n d c o -o p e r a tio n a n d th e o u te r c irc le sy m b o liz e s th e glo b e. N e w Journal T h e I n t e r n a ti o n a l J o u r n a l o f R e h a b il it a ti o n R e se a rc h w ill b e issu e d q u a r te r ly f r o m e a rly 1978. A rtic le s w ill b e p u b lis h e d in E n g lis h o r G e r m a n , w ith su m m a rie s in E n g lis h , G e r m a n a n d F re n c h . S u b s c rip tio n is D M 36,00 (a b o u t R 12,00) f r o m G . S c h in d e le P u b lis h e rs , R h e in s tra s s e 5, 7512 R h e in s te tte n 3, F e d e r a l R e p u b lic o f G e rm a n y . 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. )