April, 1966 P H Y S I O T H E R A P Y Page 13

r o o k  r e v i e w

-pHE S P IN A L  L E S IO N . S tan ley  V. P a ris, N .Z .S .P .,
M C .S.P. Pegasus Press, C h ristc h u rc h , N e w  Z ea la n d .
1st E d itio n , D e ce m b er, 1965.

This is the best b o o k  o n  sp in a l m a n ip u la tio n  th a t this 
re v ie w e r has yet c o m e  across. T h is difficult a n d  c o n tro v e rsial 
s u b je c t has been clearly a n d  logically pre sen te d . T h e  a u th o r 
is a N ew  Z ea la n d  tra in e d  p h y sio th e ra p ist w ho has u n d e r­
taken special stu d y  a n d  e v a lu a tio n  o f  spinal trea tm e n ts, 
including spinal a n a to m y , phy sio lo g y , m echanics a nd 
pathology a t the O ta g o  M edical School. O ne h a s o nly to 
glance a t th e  list o f  references a t th e  e nd o f  th e  b o o k  to 
realise how  w idely re a d  M r. P a ris is in this field. F u rth e r­
more, he u n d e rto o k  a n  extensive to u r  to  th e  U n ite d  K in g ­
dom E urope, C a n a d a  a n d  th e  U n ite d  S tates, w here he 
s tu d ie d  ideas a n d  tec h n iq u es c u rre n t to d a y — b o th  o rth o d o x  
and u n o rth o d o x — m edical, o s te o p a th ic  a n d  c h iro p ra ctic. 
He evaluated his findings in th e  light o f  his o w n experience 
and the result is th is m o st in fo rm a tiv e  a n d  fascin a tin g  b o o k .

T he b o o k  c o uld b e discussed a n d  q u o te d  a t length, b u t 
suffice it to  say th a t M r. P a ris a d v o ca te s th e  ex actin g  a n d  
very skilled “ specific m a n ip u la tio n ” tec h n iq u es ra th e r th a n  
h e  m o re  “ general m a n ip u la tio n s ” used by som e. H is

a p p ro a c h  is th a t o f  m o st p h y sio th e ra p ists inte rested  and 
experienced in th e  sp in a l field— so u n d  k n ow ledge o f a n a to m y  
a n d  fu n c tio n , a c are fu l c larifying e x a m in a tio n  by  the p h y sio ­
th e ra p is t (including a d e ta ile d  histo ry ), a c le ar u n d e rsta n d in g  
o f  th e  e x te n t a n d  lim its o f  p re sen t-d a y  k n ow ledge o f  spinal 
p a th o lo g y , c arefully a cq u ire d  m an ip u la tiv e  skill (in cluding 
tra c tio n  tec h n iq u es), c o n s ta n t vigilance a n d  reassessm ent 
o f  signs a n d  sy m p to m s, a n d  a tte n tio n  to  th e  im p o rta n t 
a d ju n c ts to  sp in a l tre a tm e n t w ith p a rtic u la r referen ce to  the 
p a tie n t’s h a b its o f  d aily living.

T h e  cases listed in th e  a p p en d ix  b rin g  to  m in d  sim ila r 
cases in o n e ’s ow n  experience. E n o u g h  p la te s have been 
included to  clarify  th e  tex t, a lth o u g h  o n e  w o u ld  o ften  like 
to  discuss a p o in t fu rth e r o r  c o n sid er a n  e x p la n a tio n  w ith 
th e  a u th o r. A  p ity  th a t th e re  a re  q u ite  a few  spelling o r 
p rin tin g  m istakes, b u t these will n o  d o u b t d is a p p e a r in 
su b seq u e n t e ditions.

T h e  a u th o r  is to  be c o n g ra tu la te d . It c a n n o t be easy to 
co n d en se  k n ow ledge as extensive a n d  p ra c tic a l as his into 
th e  lim ited confines o f a reference b o o k , yet c o v er th e  field 
so  clearly a n d  ad eq u a te ly .

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