Page Six P H Y S I O T H E R A P Y March, 1949 Correspondence F R E E H O S P I T A L I S A T I O N T o th e E d i t o r , “ P h y s i o t h e r a p y , ” I n y o u r D e c e m b e r , 1948 e d i t o r i a l y o u q u o t e the a n s w e r g i v e n b y th e T r a n s v a a l P r o v i n c i a l S e c r e t a r y in r e p l y to an i n q u i r y on h o w the i n t e r e s t s o f p h y s i o ­ t h e r a p i s t s w e r e l i k e l y to be a f f e c t e d b y the T r a n s v a a l F r e e H o s p i t a l i s a t i o n O r d in a n c e . T h i s r e p l y s e e m s to e v a d e the p o i n t ; it tells us w h a t w e a l r e a d y kn o w. T h a t “ th e i n t e r e s t s o f p h y s i o t h e r a p i s t s a r e not a f f e c t e d . . . b y the O r d i n a n c e ” is qu i te tr u e to-d ay, but th e i n q u i r y d e a lt w i t h h o w t h e s e i n t e r e s t s w e r e “ l i k e l y to be a f f e c t e d , ” a d i r e c t r e f e r e n c e to the f u tu r e . T h i s q u e s t i o n r e m a i n s u n a n s w e r e d , a n d the o m i s s i o n m a y s u g g e s t to s o m e t h a t th e a u t h o r i t i e s p r e f e r t h a t p h y s i o t h e r a p i s t s s h ou ld i n t e r p r e t th eir f u t u r e s in th e li g h t o f th e fa c t t h a t t h e r e is f u n c t i o n ­ i n g t o - d a y a n O r d i n a n c e , i n t r o d u c e d a n d p a s s e d w it h th e d e c l a r e d o b je c t o f p r o v i d i n g all m e d ic a l s e r v i c e s free. A s m e d i c a l s e r v i c e s in c lu de p h y s i o t h e r a p y , it s e e m s i m p o s s i b le no t to c o n c l u d e t h a t w h e n the O r d i n a n c e is s u p p l e m e n t e d a n d a m e n d e d — as f u r t h e r fr e e fa c i li ti e s a r e p r o v i d e d — th e i n t e r e s t s o f all p h y s i o ­ t h e r a p i s t s will b e s e r i o u s l y a f fe c t e d . I s it p o s s i b le to a r r i v e a t a n y o t h e r c o n c l u s i o n ? In s u c h c i r c u m s t a n c e s , th e T r a n s v a a l P r o v i n c i a l S e c r e t a r y ’ s r e a s s u r a n c e , g i v e n w i t h o u t i n d i c a t i n g the l o gi ca l p r o c e s s e s w h i c h led to his h a p p y c o n cl us io n is l i k e l y to b e r e c e i v e d as w i s h f u l t h i n k i n g , a n d i n t e r ­ p r e te d as an a t t e m p t to a v o i d th e i s s u e ra ise d . It is c e r t a i n l y n o t at all l i k e l y to f o s t e r t h a t s p i r i t of u n d e r s t a n d i n g an d c o - o p e r a t i o n w h i c h is d e s i r a b le a n d e s s e n t i a l b e t w e e n the P r o v i n c i a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n an d, in this i n s t a n c e , th e p h y s i o t h e r a p y p r o f e s s i o n . M u c h t i m e h a s p a s s e d s in c e th e O r d i n a n c e and its p o s s i b le e f f e c t s b e c a m e a to pi c o f m a j o r in t e re s t, but e v e n n o w it is no t too la te f o r an a n s w e r to be g i v e n to th a t q u e s t i o n o f “ th e f u t u r e ” — w i t h w h i c h m a n y p h y s i o t h e r a p i s t s a r e g r a v e l y c o n c e r n e d . F r e e H o s p i t a l i s a t i o n a n d all th a t it m e a n s is a c t u a l l y w i t h us n o w , a n d r e s i s t a n c e a m o n g p h y s i o t h e r a p i s t s m u s t no t b e p r e s u m e d . B u t w h e r e i n t e r e s t s an d l i v e li ­ ho od s a r e a f f e c t e d b y P r o v i n c i a l le gi s la t io n , s u r e l y it is no t a s k i n g to o m u c h th a t t h o s e m o s t a f f e c t e d b y th e l e g i s l a t i o n s h o u l d b e a f f o r d e d e v e r y a s s i s t a n c e in f o r m u l a t i n g th e s h a p e o f t h i n g s to c om e, so that t h e y m a y a d j u s t t h e i r p r o f e s s i o n a l li v es a c c o r d i n g l y . A full s t a t e m e n t f r o m the T r a n s v a a l P r o v i n c i a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n is t h e r e f o r e s t r o n g l y i n d ic at ed . T h i s l e t t e r is w r i t t e n in th e ho pe t h a t y o u wil l a f f o r d the A d m i n i s t r a t i o n b o th an in v it a ti o n , an d th e s pa c e, to c l a r i f y a p o s it io n w h i c h , a t its b es t, c an o n l y be r e g a r d e d as u n s a t i s f a c t o r y an d u n n e c e s s a r i l y ind efi nit e. 2 1 , P a s t e u r C h a m b e r s , V . A . R A T C L I F F , J e p p e S t r e e t , J o h a n n e s b u r g . M . C . S . P . A copy o f this letter has been forw arded to the T ransvaal Provincial S ecretary.— E ditor. C O R R E C T I O N T o th e E d i t o r , . “ P h y s i o t h e r a p y , ” I n y o u r D e c e m b e r , 1948 is s u e th e r e p o r t , “ I n t e r ­ n a ti o n a l C o n g r e s s on P h y s i o t h e r a p y ” c o n t a i n s an o b v i o u s m i s t a k e ( p r i n t e r ’s e r r o r ? ) w h i c h s h ou ld be c o r r e c t e d b e c a u s e it c an lea d to c o n fu s i o n . “ B e t w e e n th e d e g r e e s o f 44-45 C e n t . i.e. 93.3-05 d e g r e e s F a h r . ” is an o b v i o u s m i s t a k e to w h i c h I am t a k i n g th e l i b e r t y o f d r a w i n g th e a t t e n t i o n o f all r e a d e r s . Y e o v i l l e , N. F I N N , J o h a n n e s b u r g . S p e c i a l i s t P h y s i c i a n . W e are indebted to D r . Finn fo r pointing out this error. T h e correct tem peratures should read, “ 44-45 d egrees C ent. i.e. 111.1-113 degrees Fahr.— E ditor. N A M E O M I T T E D T h e n a m e o f th e w r i t e r o f th e l e t t e r w h i c h a p p e a r e d on p a g e 8 o f th e D e c e m b e r i s s u e u n d e r the title, “ E x e r c i s e s a n d th e T i r e d B a c k ” w a s o m it te d. T h e w r i t e r in q u e s t i o n w a s M r . V. L e r m , o f W i n d h o e k , S o u t h - W e s t A f r i c a . W I T S . U N I V E R S I T Y N O T E S Instructional S taff.— M i s s P . C r a w f o r d , f r o m E n g ­ land , has r e p l a c e d M i s s A . S h u n n as l e c t u r e r in e l e c t r o t h e r a p y . <| W h i l s t t r a v e l l i n g to w o r k on 28th J a n u a r y , M i s s J . B l a i r an d M i s s M . L i m e r i c k w e r e i n v o l v e d in a n a s t y c a r ac c i d e n t. T h e f o r m e r s u f f e r e d f o u r f r a c t u r e d ribs a n d a c o l la p s e d l u n g an d th e l a t t e r a f r a c t u r e o f the le f t tib ia l spine . D e s p i t e t h e s e i n ju r ie s , b o th g i rl s r e s u m e d e m p l o y m e n t w i t h i n tw o w e e k s . M i s s L i m e r i c k ha s j u s t a n n o u n c e d h e r e n g a g e m e n t to M r . J a s . L e v y , an e l e c t r i c a l e n g in e e r . S tudents.— M i s s R . v a n W i l l i c k , a f o u r t h - y e a r , s t u d e n t h a s a n n o u n c e d h e r e n g a g e m e n t to M r . R . O c k s e . M i s s J . S e r f o n t e i n , a t h i r d - y e a r s t u d e n t has a n n o u n c e d h e r e n g a g e m e n t to M r . H . E d l i n g . M i s s R . F o u c h e has b e e n a p p o i n t e d as s t u d e n t s ’ r e p r e s e n t a t i v e on the J o u r n a l C o m m i t t e e . M i s s M . B a r k e r , M i s s M . G o u l d e n a n d M i s s M . N i co l, w h o r e c e n t l y q u a li fie d , h a v e g o n e on th e to u r o f E n g l a n d a n d the C o n t i n e n t w h i c h w a s a r r a n g e d b y th e N . U . S . A . S . o r g a n i s a t i o n . T h e tw o fi rst m e n ­ ti o n e d h a v e d e c i d e d to r e m a i n in E n g l a n d to g ai n e x p e r i e n c e in s p e c i a l i s e d b r a n c h e s o f p h y s i o t h e r a p y . B O O K R E V I E W . T echniques in P hysiotherapy. B y F . L . G R E E N H I L L , H o d d e r & S t o u g h t o n L td ., 1948. P r i c e 1 2 s . 6d. 222 p a g e s . 37 I l l u s t r a t i o n s . T h i s is th e la t e s t t e c h n ic a l b o o k 0 1 1 p h y s i o t h e r a p y . It is ed it ed b y a v e r y e x p e r i e n c e d p h y s i o t h e r a p i s t , w h o w a s a s s i s t e d b y v a r i o u s m e d ic a l a u t h o r i t i e s suc h as C. B . H e a l d on r h e u m a t i s m a n d a r t h r i t i s , b y J . N. B a r r o n o n b u r n s a n d i n j u r i e s to th e han d, a n d b y J . C o l s o n on o c c u p a t i o n a l th e r a p y . G e n e r a l l y it is a v a l u a b l e a d di tio n to o u r l i t e r a t u r e , a n d wil l r e m i n d us o f m a n y u s e f u l b u t f o r g o t t e n p h y s i c a l m e t h o d s o f t r e a t m e n t . It h a s litt le n e w to o ff e r , h o w e v e r . S i n c e th e c o n t r i b u t o r s a r e o f so h ig h a s t a n d a r d , o n e t e n d s to be c r i ti c a l o f t h e i r v i e w s an d o n e c a n n o t a c c e p t all t h e i r s t a t e m e n t s a t f a c e v a lu e . S u c h o p i n i o n s as, “ A n a n t i t o x i c p o s it iv e ion suc h as zi nc o r s il v e r c a n be a p p li e d f o r the p u r p o s e o f d e c o n g e s t i o n an d to n e u t r a l i s e o r r e m o v e the t o x i n s w i t h o u t i n c r e a s i n g th e g e n e r a l b lo o d s u p p l y at d e p t h , ” s i m p l y do es not m a k e s en s e. U n s c i e n t i f i c s t a t e m e n t s o f this sort d e t r a c t s o m e w h a t f r o m th e v a l u e o f th e bo o k , a w o r k o t h e r w i s e to b e h i g h l y r e c o m m e n d e d . 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. )