8 P H Y S I O T H E R A P Y JUNE, 1974 .1 s h o u ld b e fa ilin g in m y d u ty if I w e re n o t to c o n ­ v e y m y w a rm fe lic ita tio n s to M rs . A u d re y M c F a r la n e a n d h e r C o m m itte e o n c o n c e iv in g a n d g iving b ir th to th e O b s te tric A s s o c ia tio n — a p p r o p ri a te ly a h a p p y b irth d a y . I s h o u ld e sp e c ia lly lik e to e x p re ss a p p r e c ia ­ tio n to M iss R o s e m a ry H a r te o n c o n v e n in g w h a t h a s u n d o u b te d ly b e e n a m o s t su c c e ss fu l S y m p o siu m . I k n o w I sp e a k f o r a ll o f y o u w h e n I e x te n d th a n k s a n d g r a ti­ tu d e to th e s p e a k e rs — so m e o f w h o m h a v e c o m e a ll th e w ay f r o m P r e t o r ia a n d C a p e T o w n , as w e ll a s so m e o f o u r lo c a l lu m in a rie s , fo r th e ir c o n tr ib u tio n s la s t e v e n in g ; a n d to P ro f e s s o r J a c k A lla n f o r c o n d u c tin g th e L e c tu r e /D e m o n s tr a tio n th is m o rn in g . . O b s te tric s — w h a t a c ru c ia l a r e a w ith w h ic h t o b e g in y o u r sp e c ia lis e d g ro u p s ; f o r e v e ry th in g b e g in s w ith it. A n d , a f te r a ll, a s a g re a t m e d ic a l m a n o n c e s a id , is n o t th is p e lv is th e tr iu m p h a l a rc h th r o u g h w h ic h p a sse s ev e ry y o u th f u l c a n d id a te f o r im m o rta lity ? T h is p e lv ic tr iu m p h a l a rc h is o n e o f t h e su p re m e p r o d u c ts o f e v o lu tio n a r y g e n iu s : f o r it h a s a tta in e d its h u m a n fo rm a n d fu n c tio n w h ile o v e rc o m in g tw o o r th re e m a jo r a n d s o m e tim e s c o n flictin g c h a lle n g e s. O ne w a s th e tr e n d in a n c ie n t tim e s to w a rd s a n in c re a s e in th e b ra in size o f th e n e w b o rn b a b y ; w ith th is w e n t th e n e e d f o r a c o n c o m ita n t e n la rg e m e n t o f th e b irth -c a n a l; a n d th e th ir d w a s th e a tta in m e n t b y o u r a n c e s to rs o f u p rig h tn e s s . T h e w a y in w h ic h th e s e a p p a r e n tly irre c o n c ila b le b io lo g ic a l g o a ls w e re a c h ie v e d w i th o u t th e p e lv ic m e c h a n ism fa llin g in to a h e a p o f ru in s, o r o u r species giv in g u p th e se e m in g ly u n e q u a l stru g g le a n d becoming e x tin c t, is o n e o f th e g r e a t sa g a s o f h u m a n development. E n d is s n a a k s d a t, n ie te e n s ta a n d e d ie fe it d a t hierdie e w o lu sie v a n v e rn a a m s te b e la n g is, n a v o rs in g in hierdie a r e a ’n b a ie jo n g e n n u w e o n tw ik k e lin g is. Eenvoudig is d ie kw e ssie so o s v o lg : H o e k o n d it g e b e u r h e t d a t die fe tu s ’n d rie v o u d ig e v e rg ro tin g v a n sy b re in versoen m e t d ie v e reistes v a n ’n n o rm a le g e b o o rte ; e n teixelf- te rty d v e rs o e n m e t d ie v e ra n d e rin g s in d ie bekkenbeen. sy g e w rig te e n sy sp ie re — w a t d ie b e re ik v a n opregt- h e id v e rg ese l h e t? T h e m in d b o g g les a t th e th o u g h t t h a t we ever sur­ v iv ed th is th r e e f o ld c h a lle n g e o f th e bigger-brained n e w b o rn b a b y , d e m a n d in g a m o re c a p a c io u s birth- c a n a l; th e m a in te n a n c e , n e v e rth e le ss, o f n o r m a l parturi­ tio n ; a n d th e m a jo r p e lv ic re a d ju s tm e n ts t h a t accom­ p a n ie d th e a tta in m e n t o f th e u p r ig h t sta n c e a n d bipedal g a it. Y e t su rv iv e w e d id ; a n d o n ly b y th e developm ent of a s u p e rb m e c h a n ism w h o se n u a n c e s h a v e b e e n occupy­ ing y o u r a tte n tio n la s t e v e n in g a n d th is m o rn in g . n Y e t e v en th e m o s t p e r fe c t o f N a tu r e ’s m e c h a n is ^ n e ed s th e g u id in g h a n d o f th e th e r a p e u tic tea m from tim e to tim e . S o it is fitting t h a t y o u r Society has o rg a n is e d th is S y m p o s iu m o n th e ro le o f th e physio­ th e ra p is t in h e lp in g to e ase th o s e musculo-ligamentous p ro b le m s w h ic h o u r m o s t s p e c ta c u la r a n d all-too-recent e v o lu tio n a ry re v o lu tio n h a s le ft in its w a k e. REPORT OF FIRST A.G.M. OF OBSTETRIC GROUP OF S.A.S.P. b y M iss R . H a u te , C hairm an T h is d e lig h tfu l a n d s u ita b le “ c o m m e n t” b y P ro fe s s o r T o b ia s a t th e lu n c h e o n w h ic h b r o u g h t to a n e n d th e p r o ­ c ee d in g s o f th e S y m p o siu m , g a v e e v e ry o n e f o o d fo r th o u g h t, p r io r to th e F ir s t N a t io n a l A n n u a l G e n e ra l M e e tin g o f th e O b s te tric G r o u p o f th e S .A .S .P ., w h ic h fo llo w e d o n th e S a tu r d a y a f te r n o o n . By a ll a c c o u n ts th e S y m p o siu m o n “ T h e M a jo r M u s c le G r o u p s In v o lv e d in P re g n a n c y , P a r tu r iti o n a n d P o s t- n a ta l R e c o v e ry ” w a s a g r e a t success, a n d a w ide in te re s t w as sh o w n w h ic h w a s m o s t e n c o u ra g in g . O n th e F r id a y e v e n in g , P r o fe s s o r J e a n B la ir, first c h a ir m a n o f th e P h y s io th e r a p y B o a rd , o p e n e d th e p r o ­ c ee d in g s w ith a s h o r t b u t p e r tin e n t sp e e ch . T h e th r e e p r e s e n ta tio n s by th e P a n e l d e a lin g w ith th e th e m e o f th e S y m p o siu m w e re b r ie f in o r d e r to m e e t p r o g r a m m e r e q u ire m e n ts . D r . v a n R o o y e n , P r o ­ fe s s o r v a n D o n g e n a n d D r. d u T o it p re s e n te d “m u ltu m in p a r v o ” , a b ly c o n d e n s in g th e ir sp e c ia lis e d su b je c ts. M a n y in te re s tin g p o in ts w ere ra is e d w h ic h p re c ip ita te d lively d isc u ssio n , r e g re tfu lly c u t s h o r t b y th e o ld e n e m y — T im e . T h e p ro c e e d in g s w ere, sk ilfu lly h a n d le d b y th e C h a ir m a n , D r . E . A . S tra s h e im w ith a d e lig h tfu lly lig h t to u c h a n d a n a b ility to d ra w a n d h o ld id e a s to ­ g e th e r. C a p e T o w n ’s D r. P e te r B a illie fo llo w e d w ith a ta lk o u tlin in g m e th o d s o f c o n tro llin g “ m u lti- f o e ta l” p r e g ­ n a n c ie s a n d so m e o f th e d ifficu lties e n c o u n te re d en ro u te . C le a rly w o rk in th is field h a s o p e n e d n ew h o riz o n s in o b s te tric s w h ic h w ill n e e d th e c a r e f u l a tte n tio n o f o b s te tric p h y s io th e ra p is ts . P e r h a p s th e m o s t re m a r k a b le e v e n t o f th e S y m p o siu m w a s th e “ h a p p e n in g ” a t th e S a tu r d a y m o rn in g W o r k ­ s h o p , in w h ic h P ro f e s s o r A lla n o f th e A n a to m y d e p a r t­ m e n t o f W its. U n iv e rsity h a d u n d e r ta k e n to prepare sp e c ia lly d isse c te d sp e c im e n s re le v a n t to th e theme of th e S y m p o siu m . N o less th a n 91 m e m b e rs of the S .A .S .P . e n ro lle d ! T h is slo w e d d o w n th e demonstra­ tio n s , a n d it w a s d e c id e d to s c ra p th e E x erc ise Work­ s h o p in fa v o u r o f c a rry in g th e A n a to m y discussion to a c o n c lu s io n (w h ic h o f c o u rs e it d id n ’t!) T h e most p ro m is in g a s p e c t p e r h a p s w as P ro f. A l la n ’s willingness to c o n tin u e th e w o rk in th e f u tu r e in th e f o r m of pro­ p e rly c o n tr o lle d p ro je c ts , a n d th e n e w c om m ittee will b e in v e s tig a tin g th e p o ss ib ility o f th is offer in the neat fu tu re . A c o n tin u a n c e o f th is b a sic ty p e o f revisii a n d d isc u ssio n w o u ld e n s u re a m o re p o sitiv e result fn th e p r o p o s e d E x e rc is e W o rk s h o p , a n d therefore, th o u g h it re m a in s a p rin c ip a l o b je c tiv e o f th e Associa­ tio n , th is w o rk m ig h t, o f n e ce ssity , b e set a sid e for the tim e b e in g . A t th e A .G .M . M rs. A u d re y M c F a r la n e announced t h a t sh e w o u ld b e u n a b le to c o n tin u e a s C hairm an of th e O b s te tric G r o u p a s she is g u id in g th e n ew school o f p h y s io th e ra p y a t G a -R a n k u w a t h r o u g h its initial sta g e s. I n th is w e w ish h e r e v e ry success. T h e n a m e “ G r o u p ” w a s c h a n g e d to “ A sso c ia tio n ”, and th e n e w ly e le c te d c o m m itte e is as fo llo w s; C h a ir m a n : M iss R o s e m a ry H a r te , Johannesburg V ic e -c h a ir: M rs. L o u is e H a c k , P r e to r ia S e c re ta ry : M rs . B re n d a K a s te ll, Johannesburg T re a s u r e r : M rs. P ie tr o u v a n R o o y e n , Pretoria C o m m itte e : M rs . B e ry l C h a n tle r, P re to ria M rs . F ra n c e s G la u b e r , Johannesburg M rs . A u d re y M c F a rla n e , Pretoria M rs . G illia n O o s th u iz e n , Pretoria 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. )