VISITING U.S. DOCTOR

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25445, 17 March 1948, Page 3

VISITING U.S. DOCTOR

WORLD AUTHORITY ON SPASTIC PARALYSIS

PROGRESS IN EDUCATING SUFFERERS An appeal for understanding and sympathetic treatment of spastic paralysis cases was made in an interview with “The Press” yesterday by Dr. Earl R. Carlson, an American doctor who is recognised as a world authority on spastic paralysis. Dr. Carlson is visiting New Zealand at the request of the Government on behalf of the New Zealand Crippled Children Society, the secretary of which (Mr C. Meachen) is acting as his secretary during his tour.

Accompanied by his wife, Dr. Carlson arrived at Auckland by air about a week ago. He has since visited Dunedin and arrived in Christchurch

yesterday afternoon. He will leave c Saturday for Wellington. Before r< turning to the United* States he wi spend 10 days in Australia. The pu; pose of his visit to New Zealand is 1 meet persons interested in aiding spa.

tic paralysis sufferers, survey the therapeutic facilities available in the Dominion, and report on the country’s future needs in this work to the Government and the Crippled Children Society. Yesterday Dr. Carlson paid tribute to the organisation of the Crippled Children Society, of which, he said, every member seemed keenly interested in the care- ot spastic paralysis sufferers. The United States had a total of 300,000 such cases. About twothirds of spastic paralysis cases were educable. Spastic paralysis itself was incurable, as it was impossible to replace the brain cells which had been permanently destroyed by injury before or at birth, but many sufferers could be enabled suitable treatment and education to lead almost normal lives. Special Schools in U.S. Dr. Carlson, who is himself a victim of spastic paralysis, is the founder and director of the Largo Del Mare Schools of Motor Education at East Hampton, Long Island, New York, and Pompano, Florida. He explained that between 70 and 100 spastic paralysis patients, whose ages ranged from two to 20, attended the schools. The Long Island school was operated during the summer months, and for the winter the patients were flown to Florida, as the cold weather was bad for spastics. Children attended from nearly every State in America and from many foreign countries.

Treatment was both psychological and physical, said Dr. Carlson. Patients’ psychological problems were always greater than their physical difficulties warranted. The complaint not only affected the muscles, but also the emotions, and as the emotions were brought under control the working of the muscles tended to improve correspondingly. Spastics had to be taught to call on the reserve undamaged centres of their brains to compensate for the destruction of other centres by their malady. The use of therapy, braces, and surgery was important, but education was most important. Therapy and education should go hand in hand. . Unfortunately, said Dr. Carlson, many spastic cases were regarded as mental defectives when they were actually mentally bright. Of the staff of 32 employed at his schools, 12. members were themselves spastics. Dr. Carlson said he was scarcely able to talk or feed himself,when he was 18$ but on the death of his parents some years later he was forced qf necessity to lqarn to do things for himself. “Necessity helped me more than anything else,” he added. Dr. Carlson graduated Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science from the University of Minneapolis and Doctor of Medicine from Yale.

Need for Opportunities He made a plea tor opportunities to be given spastics for educatioh. Children suffering from the malady were often barted from schools because of their grimaces or other peculiarities. Interest in the welfare of such cases had intensified, more especially in the last two or three years, and people were banding together to see that the children were given proper treatment. The earlier cases were taken in hand, the better were their chances of learning to lead normal lives. Dr. Carlson added that he thought there were wonderful facilities in New Zealand for medical research. He had heard of tbe work of many leading New Zealand doctors before coming to the Dominion. Dr. Carlson has lectured throughout the United States and in 27 foreign countries. His programme in Christchurch is a full one. To-day he will meet persons interested in tne assessment of crippled children’s abilities at the geography block, Canterbury University College, and will lecture in the college hall in the evening. To-mor-row morning he will be met by welfare and social workers at Canterbury College, and at 8.30 p.m. will meet members of the Canterbury division of the British Medical Association. On Friday he will give clinical demonstrations at the Christchurch Public Hospital. In addition to his official engagements, he will pay an unofficial visit to the Templeton Farm School to inspect its occupational therapy facilities.