EDITORIAL But what is freedom? Rightly understood, A universal licence to be good. Hartley Coleridge 1796-1849 T h e new c o d e o f c o n d u c t a n d eth ic a l ru les re la tin g to p h y s i o t h e r a p y p r a c t i c e w ill g iv e g r e a t e r f r e e d o m to p hy sio th erap ists, b u t this in tu rn will re q u ire g re a te r self-dis- c ipline by us all. A s th e ru les b e c o m e less d escrip tiv e a n d restrictive, so w e will n e e d to b e even m o re carefu l n o t to infringe up o n th e rights o f o u r p a tie n ts a n d colleagues. R u les a n d reg u latio n s a re th e re to g u id e us in o u r b eh av io u r to w ard s o u r clients a n d o u r colleagues b u t as E d m u n d B u rk e (1729- 1791) says. “It is n o t w hat a law yer tells m e I may do , b u t w hat hum anity, re a so n a n d ju stic e tell m e w hat I o u ght to d o ” . T h e C o m m ittee o f P relim in ary In q u iry o f th e P ro fessio n al B o a rd fo r P hysio th erap y have fo u n d re c u rrin g co m plaints against p h y sio th erap ists over th e years. T h e se in clu d ed • P ra c titio n e rs failing to identify them selves to p a tie n ts a n d to explain w hat service w o u ld b e re n d e re d to p a tie n ts in ho sp ital • F a ilu re to e n te r in to a w ritten o r verb al c o n tra c t w ith th e p a tie n t • In a p p ro p ria te o r ineffective tre a tm e n t • In c o rre c t billing o f acco u n ts • T o u tin g f o r p a t i e n t s by, f o r e x a m p le , o f fe rin g f r e e p hy sio th erap y services. A lth o u g h m ost o f th e co m p lain ts received a re against p h y sio th erap ists in priv ate p ra c tic e , th e failure to identify them selves a n d failure to e n te r into c o n tra c t w ith th e p a tie n t will app ly to every practisin g physio th erap ist. A ll p h y sio th er­ ap ists a n d stu d e n ts n e e d to re c o n sid e r th e ir a p p ro a c h to ­ w a rd s th e ir p a tie n ts an d e n su re th a t th e ir clients a re p a r t o f th e decision-m aking process. P a rt o f th e ro le o f a p ro fessio n al is to sh a re know ledge w ith o u r colleagues. W h at b e tte r way to d o this th a n by c o n trib u t­ ing to o n e ’s ow n p ro fessio n al jo u rn a l? Y et relatively few o f o u r m em b ers a re su b m itting artic le s to this jo u rn a l, a n d th e E d ito ria l B o a rd is having to rely fo r pu b licatio n s from th o se o u tsid e o u r p rofession. U n less m em b ers s u p p o rt th e ir own jo u rn a l an d m ake an effo rt to sh a re th e ir ex p erien ces w ith o th ers, th e jo u rn a l co u ld b e fo rc e d to sto p publication. It w as th e re fo re a p le a su re to receive an a rtic le fro m two s tu d e n ts fro m th e U niversity o f S tellenbosch, w ho n o t only sh o w ed th a t they w e re ab le to u n d e rta k e re se a rc h , b u t w ere also w illing to p u b lish th e ir findings. In th e n e a t stu d y by S a b o r a n d M oll, th e effect o f p relim in ary w arm -u p exercises p rio r to sw im m ing w as investigated. T h e ir study sho w ed th a t th e r e w as so m e im pro v em en t in th e swim m ing p e rfo rm a n c e o f th o s e subjects w ho d id th e c o n tro lle d w arm -u p p ro g ra m m e . In a case study by T P au lsen , th e assessm en t a n d tre a tm e n t o f p a in in th e sacro iliac re g io n in a w o m an w ho w as 24 w eeks p re g n a n t a re p re s e n te d . T h e re a r e m any d iffe re n t o p in io n s re g a rd in g th e tre a tm e n t o f p a in in th e sacro iliac re g io n a n d th e n e e d fo r a c c u ra te assessm en t a n d selectio n o f tech n iq u e s is highlighted. T h is is th e first c a se stu d y to b e p u b lish e d a n d it is h o p e d th a t th e re will b e a re g u la r flow o f articles, e sp e ­ cially fro m o u r vast m ajority o f clinical phy sio th erap ists. T h e im p o rta n c e o f e d u c a tin g p a re n ts re g a rd in g th e a d ­ v an tag es o f b re a st-fe ed in g is d iscu ssed by B erg e t al. T h e p e r c e p tio n o f o b s te tr ic p h y s io th e ra p is ts w ith r e g a r d to b re a st-fe ed in g in S o u th A fric a a n d th e ro le th a t they m ay play in its p ro m o tio n d u rin g c h ild b irth e d u c a tio n w as surveyed by th e a u th o rs. C o n g ra tu la tio n s to S h e e n a Irw in -C a rru th e rs w h o w as e le c te d c h airm an o f th e In te rn a tio n a l B o b a th In stru c to rs A sso ciatio n fo r A d u lt H e m ip le g ia (IB IT A H ) a t th e re c e n t A G M h e ld in J a p a n . M iss Irw in -C a rru th e rs w as th e first re c ip ie n t o f th e S m ith a n d N ep h ew travel b u rsa ry a n d h e r r e p o rt o f th e m eetin g o f IB IT A H is p re s e n te d in this jo u rn a l. A s S o u th A fric a b e c o m e s a c c e p te d m o re read ily in th e in te rn a tio n a l com m unity, th e S A S P is p le a se d to b e ab le to h o st th e next executive m e etin g o f W C P T -A frica. T h is will b e h e ld in M a rc h in J o h a n n e s b u rg a n d it is h o p e d th a t m e m b e rs o f th e S ociety will b e a b le to m e e t w ith th e ir colleag u es to exchange ideas. M ay 1993 b e a successful y ear fo r all o u r m em b ers b o th in th e p ra c tic e o f p h y sio th erap y as well as in service to th e pro fessio n . It is a s a d reflectio n on o u r w illingness to give so m eth in g b a c k to th e p ro fessio n w hen th e biggest b ra n c h o f th e SA S P w as u n a b le to find e n o u g h v o lu n teers to serve on th e ir executive com m ittee. W e d o n e e d to instil e n th u siasm in o u r stu d e n ts a n d y o u n g er co lleag u es by exam ple, a n d c o n ­ vince th em o f th e satisfaction they m ay gain by serving th e ir ow n Society. J C Beenhakker SMITH AND NEPHEW EDUCATIONAL TRUST S m ith a n d N ep h ew have g en ero u sly d o n a te d a T rav el B u r­ sary to m em b ers o f th e SA SP in reco g n itio n o f th e long asso ciatio n o f th e C om pany w ith th e phy sio th erap y p ro fe s ­ sion. C rite ria fo r th e a w ard o f this a n n u al b u rsa ry are:- 1. T h e N atio n al E xecutive C o m m itte e will select th e su itable c a n d id a te o r can d id ates. 2. T h e b u rsa ry will b e a w a rd e d to a p h y sio th erap ist w ho is p re se n tin g a p a p e r a t a local o r overseas congress. 3. Follow ing p u b licatio n o f th e p a p e r in th e p ro c e e d in g s o f th e C o n g ress a tte n d e d , th e p a p e r will b e p u b lish ed in th e SA S ociety o f P hysiotherapy Jo u rn a l. (C a n d id a te s m u st th e re ­ fo re en su re th a t perm ission is o b ta in e d fo r th e p a p e r to b e p u b lish ed in th e SA S P Jo u rn a l, from th e C o n g ress S e c re ­ ta ria t). 4. A p p lic a tio n s from any p h y sio th erap ist w ho will b e p re s e n ­ tin g a p a p e r a t a congress, m u st b e su b m itte d to th e H e a d O ffice o f th e SA SP, to g e th e r w ith a s h o rt C V a n d m otiva­ tio n by 30 A p ril 1993. T h e first re c ip ie n t o f th e S m ith a n d N ep h ew trav el b u rsa ry w as M iss S h e e n a Irw in -C a rru th e rs, w ho o b ta in e d assistan ce to a tte n d th e IB IT A H C o n fe re n c e in J a p a n in S e p te m b e r, 1992. T h e S o u th A frican Society o f P h y sio th erap y is very g ratefu l fo r this g e n e ro u s g e stu re by S m ith a n d N ephew , w hich will b e o f p a rtic u la r value in th ese difficult e co n o m ic tim es. Bladsy2 Fisioterapie, Februarie 1993 Peel 49 no 1 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. )