Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-04-08
THE PRACTICE OF MASSAGE.
a Demand That It Should he Restricted
hY Law To the InHtrnrsnh Only.

n
by Law to the instructed Only.
While the public is protected by neces-
sary laws and regulations against the de-
ception and quackery formerly existing in
many professions and vocations having re-
lation TO its health and general affairs,
there exists, so far as know, in no state
of the Union any protection, under any
law or government, against the palpable
incompetency Of a certain very numerous
class of masseurs and masseuses, who,
while protesting profound knowledge of
mechanical therapeutics in general, and
especially massage, are yet wholly desti-
tute of tho requisite education, ability
and talent.
In many cases where massage, as an
auxiliary to medical and surgical practice,
would produce a most desirable effect it is
left to be applied by ignorant impostors OF
either sex, with no qualification beyond
their own assertion displayed on sign
boards or IN deceptive advertisements in
| certain newspapers. The danger of this
practice is easily perceived. The limits of
| massage are well defined. But these bold
adopts of Ling and Metzger fear no conse-
quences. They will "rub' q malignant
! tumor as cheerfully as they will treat a
purulent process or any infectious disease
| when noli mo tangere should be the watch
word. have known them in eases of lat
eral curvature Of the spine to rub and ex-
ercise the muscles of the concave side and
consecrate this method by giving to it the
assuring name of Swedish massage.
The establishment and modification OF
the female figure are the latest achieve
ments in modern mechanical therapeutics
of this category. The fact is that the pre-
yaillng massage OPERATOR" or 80 called
"medical RUBBER is we'll aware that he
can do no good. But his utter ignorance
of the physiological effects of massage pre-
vents him from knowing that he can in
flict great injury.
1t is strange that the United States
should possess the best physicians ant
surgeons in the world, but the worst mas
seurs The virtue of massage is not over
looked. But the difficulty Of finding edu
Gated and skillful men is the root of thu
evil. Proofs of this assertion are visible
every day. In recent article in The Med
, ical Record we'll known physician re
, marks that: Massage, to bo of any value
must be properly and scientifically done
There are many people who pose as mas
BCuTS anu IldSStuStS WI w uoO hho" oi'
, first thing about the subject, and thes
/ people must be avoided If one would no
, do his patient harm"
! DR.. Benjamin Lee, in his valuable essa,
on Swedish Movements and Massage,
. confirms this opinion by saying:
! SIT is not too much to require that n
one Of either sex shall attempt to perform
h remedial manipulations upon our patient
a who does not possess knowledge of th
p leading facts in anatomy, such as the pc
q sition and comparative size Of the variou
organs and the position and course of tn
larger blood vessels and nerves and c
such facts in physiology as the function
e Of the organs, the course Of the circulation
j. assimilation and nutrition, Of the mode
e of applying massage and movements
|. such way as to secure the best results
1t the briefest time and with the least di
Is comfort to the patient, of the effects prt
Z duced locally and generally upon the sy
e TEN by the different methods of procedure
s. of the order in which they should be use
o and of the injury which may be infiicte
n by employing them improperly or in inal
e propriate cases. No one is competent
|. acquire such knowledge who has not ha
a certain amount of education. To the!
D endowments of nature and education mu
@ be added o manual dexterity in the appl
le cation of the various procedures which ca
le only be acquired by careful training und
e. an experienced instructor. Hence it wi
S. be understood that the stable and the laul
S. dry are not, on the whole, the best schoo
n from which to graduate practitioners of tn
is art. "
Of There exists no good reason why Il
v practice of massage should not be regulate
er ard restricted. In Sweden and other cou
a tries where the practitioners of mechan
in therapy enjoy the confidence Of the me
er ical profession no one is permitted to a
10 minister massage who is not qualified
Or the state board Of medicine. The san
II method could easily be adopted here. II
III reputable masseur or masseuse should a
th ply to state board of medicine for q &C
Sc tiflcate, let his or her competency and re
OF ord be vouched for by certain number
IN physicians. believe that legislative a
be of this kind would be hailed with delig
in by the public, the medical profession al
ID by all legitimate masseurs. Until SON
d, thing is done in this direction che
g. schools of massage will continue to furni
ur grooms and servant girls with diplomas
o. and q valuable auxiliary to medical al
surgical practice will remain consta
source of danger and abuse in the hands
=, unlettered and unskilled assumers. Az
lo G. Hallbeck in New York Sun.