Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-04-16


are not the ones accepted by the medical
throughout the world. In fact, they are
c opposite.
been the accepted theory that deformitics
by strong muscles pulling the weak
at isn't true. Determines are caused by
he affected muscles. The orthodox treat
attempted 10 prevent or correct deformi
splinting and other means of immobill-
! have discarded that method entirely.
not only unnecessary and painful, but il
Lmaging and often disastrous.
There have been times when / felt
physically sick as / passed through
wards where the orthodox treatment was
used. / have watched physiotherapiSts
making plaster casts for arms, legs,
backs and hands. have watched the lit
tie bodies lying IN row IN the sunJ wait
ing for the casts 10 dry. have shuddered
at the resigned, helpless looks on the
young faces. l have quailed mentally at
the thought of the months and even
years that the poor little victims of ignO-
rance must spend in their plaster prisons.
I REMEMBER one little girl who had
] been in a plaster cast SO long she had
forgotten there was any other way 10
live. When she came TO my clinic and
we broke the ugly straitjacket from her
body, she was frightened. She felt that
she was about TO float away.
How much longer, dear Heaven, is
the world going to permit such unneces-
sary pain?
How much longer will it take the
medical world to realize that splinting,
by the application of sheer force, may
keep patients body stTaighteT, but 1t
prevents articulation and turns the mus
Gle fibre into a useless, non-elastic mass?
In addition to the tendency to truss
victims up in archaic torture devices,
many doctors today are too prone 10
give up easily. If the patient doesn't
show Improvement after having been
strapped or laced or nodded into immo-
bility, they feel that it's a hopeless case
and there's no use spending any more
time or effort. Tommyrot!
/ was telling somebody just the other
day about a recent case l had. The
patient was a young man. He had spent
a year and eight months in various
institutions and finally had been dis
charged as a hopeless cripple. We took
him into the institute at Minneapolis.
He spent year and a third here
16 long months spent in undoing
the effects Of wrong treatment. Today
that hopeless cripple" is working in
a war plant and driving his own car
there and back every day.
If we are able to treat victims
early enough, we can usually help
them quickly But when we have
10 combat the effects of the disease
and correct somebody else's work
besides, our chances Of success
are greatly diminished.
I said 30 years ago, and
reiterate today, that there is
only one way TO fight infantile
paralysis, and that is to give
treatment for all the symp.
toms as they present them
selves pain, spasm, inco-
ordination and m entail
alienation.
Before l retire from the
struggle / want that truth
>Aems to be shouted from the
housetops in all the cities
OF the world
When the last little body
has been strapped to an
and painful splint, when the last cruel
ace has been applied to suffering little
limbs that could heal themselves, will
! was not guided in vain that terrifying
I Australian backwoods cabin, when God
ctor. l will know that part of mankindS
age of suffering has come 10 an end