EDITORIAL / find the great thing in this world is, not so much where we stand, as in the direction we are moving. Goethe 1749-1832 By the time this Journal is published, the National Council M eeting and the National Congress will b e over. Many im­ portant issues will have been discussed and hopefully, d eci­ sions made that will not only be o f benefit to our members and the improvement in the status o f our profession, but will also more clearly define the business that w e are in. This should include the care for our patients and the improvement in the well-being o f the peoples of South Africa. W orkshops have been arranged to cater for the interests o f individuals, but at the end o f the day, have w e decided on the direction in which w e should be moving? After many years o f investigation by the N EC , and after intensive efforts by members o f the Society and o f the various Special Interest Groups, South African physiotherapists can now take part in the process o f specialisation. Previously, in order to advance in one’s profession, physiotherapists usually moved away from direct patient care into administration, teaching and research. The need for a career in the clinical field was recognised however, a decade ago and various m odels for specialisation w ere investigated. A n Interim C ollege Council was estab­ lished in 1989 and twenty-four Founder M em bers o f the College o f Physiotherapists o f South Africa were nominated and approved in 1991. A t the Inaugural M eeting o f the C ol­ lege, ten Founders w ere elected to the Council and w ere to be responsible for the business o f the Council. Later S p e­ ciality Boards w ere established, as well as an Examination and Credentials Committee, and these com m ittees together with the Founders o f the C ollege Council, finalised the process o f Specialisation. It is envisaged that physiotherapists who com plete the specialisation process, will becom e the clinical scientists of the profession. A s H elen H islop said in 1975 “it is my dream that clinical specialists, born in service, nurtured in reason, seasoned with practice and blended with compassion, will begin to deal in physical therapy with questions that too long have challenged the human intellect and the human spirit” . It is also the hope o f the College Council that our specialists in physiotherapy will provide even higher quality health ser­ vices to the benefit o f all people o f South Africa and thus also enhance the status o f our profession. Two research articles in this issue cover widely divergent subjects. In the article by J Charteris, it is shown that simple testing equipm ent can b e used in conjunction with the author’s normative data, to measure the success o f any muscle strengthening programme that a physiotherapist may use. The author stresses that the Q uadriceps/Ham string ratio is not fixed and will depend on the subject’s position when being tested, the type o f muscle work and the sp eed o f movement. The aim o f the paper is to assist the therapist to restore ipsilateral and contralateral musculo-skeletal balance in vari­ ous knee conditions. In the study carried out by P G ounden, the effect o f posture on the role o f Pectoralis Major and Latissimus D orsi muscles was investigated. Phasic electromyographic activity in a cces­ sory expiratory m uscles in Tetraplegic patients was examined. In this good research project, it was found that the Pectoralis Major muscle was posture dependent in half o f the subjects. However, the number o f subjects was far too low to arrive at any definite conclusion. This stresses again that, when clinical trials are carried out, a large sam ple size must b e used. This will provide more conclusive results and be less subject to criticism. It is important for physiotherapists who attend interna­ tional conferences to share their experiences and new ideas with colleagues. This is the subject o f the article by S Pullen. The major thrust o f the conference that she attended, was the need for clinical research in the field o f spinal cord injuries as well as the need for the inclusion o f large numbers o f subjects in any trials. Som e o f the presentations given, which are o f specific relevance to physiotherapists, are highlighted and discussed. The first R espite Care Centre in the Transvaal has been established in Johannesburg and opened its doors to physi­ cally disabled persons who require temporary accom m oda­ tion. H aving visited several respite care centres for the Elderly in Great Britain, I realise the trem endous service this will provide to clients and their caregivers. The centres in the U nited Kingdom provide short term care in order to stabilise patients with acute problems or for intensive functional reha­ bilitation, after which the patients are once again returned to their own hom es in the community. They also give respite to the caregivers enabling them to take a much need ed break or a change from their daily chores. This service, which is rela­ tively cost-effective, should b e expanded to all areas o f this country. Perhaps we can, as individuals and members o f branches and Special Interest G roups, investigate and if deem ed necessary, lobby for more o f these respite centres in other parts o f the country. This may be one way o f moving towards care in the community. Reference 1. H is lo p J H . T h e n o t- s o - i r a p o s s ib le d r e a m . Physical Therapy 1975;55(10):1069-1080. J C Beenhakker WCPT-EUROPE FIRST CONGRESS 5-7 JUNE 1994 Physiotherapy in Stroke Management The Danish Association of Physiotherapists is hosting this first WCPT-Europe Congress, 5 - 7 June 1994, in Copenhagen Themes and Events A wide range of topics in Stroke Management will be addressed. With an emphasis on practical implications the congress will discuss essential issues in current physiotherapy for the stroke patient in modern society. Keynote speakers, plenary sessions, open discussions and workshops will provide the basis for a critical look at aims and objectives in physiotherapy, presently and in the future. Further information may be obtained from Danske Fysioterapeuter, Scientific Secretariat, WCPT-Europe Congress 1993, N0rre Vold- gade 90, DK-1358 Copenhagen, Denmark. Fisioterapie, Mei 1993 Peel 49 no 2 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. )