Cerebral Palsy: Visit Of World Authority

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 March 1948, Page 2

Cerebral Palsy: Visit Of World Authority

DUNEDIN, This Day. His reputation as a world authority on cerebral paralysis preceded Dr Earl R. Carlson to New Zetaland, but he lays no claim to infallibility, in spite of his own triumph over the disease which crippled him from birth. “I am not a miracle man,” he told a reporter in an interview. He explained that he was in New Zealand at the request of the Government and the Crippled Children Society to investigate the position in regard to cerebral paralysis and to present a report on its treatment. Dr Carlson operates two private boarding schools, one in New York and the other in Florida, where about 70 children afflicted with cerebral palsy, or birth palsy as it is sometimes known, are treated. All grades and ages, from the kindergarten stage up to high school, are catered for, the treatment lasting in some cases for only a few weeks, in others for years, depending on the receptivity of the child. About 20 per cent, of the sufferers were deaf, about half had eye trouble, and most had some speech defect, and it was no easy task to train them, commented Dr Carlson. Common Misconception Because of the appearance of many victims of cerebral palsy, there was a common misconception that they were mentally defective, said Dr Carlson. On the contrary, there were many who were mentally bright. “They all have the machinery but find it difficult to control. The brain flashes the signal, but there is a breakdown along the line. A cerebral palsy is like a person who stutters, except that he stutters with his whole body,” he said. One of the most important things in the helping of victims was building up their confidence, said Dr Carlson. Often it was found that education was the most important factor. As the sense of personal worth deepened, the sufferer found that his coordination improved. It was impossible to cure the disease, but in most cases it was definitely possible to develop apparently hopeless cases to the stage where they were useful citizens.

The 500 or so cases in New Zealand might well be catered for by a .special school, at which vocational guidance, occupational therapy, remedial courses, and ordinary education could be combined. Vocational guidance was really a most important factor, as this increased the all-im-portant feeling of value to the community. “In my own case, I progressed far more rapidly once I discovered that I was capable of being a useful citizen,” he said. Outstanding Example

Dr Carlson is himself an outstanding example of what determination and intelligent application of sound principles can do. At the age of 18 he was unable to feed or dress himself, and when both his parents died, he was forced to make a supreme effort to help himself. His first job was selling papers; he later worked in a library, and all the time he studied hard. That he now holds degrees of arts, science and medicine and has become a world authority on the disease which once held him in thrall is a tribute to his own courage and a testimony to the treatment which he advocates and practises. In recent years, Dr Carlson, accompanied by his wife, who is a trained nurse, has visited all the countries of South America,'■ as well as Great Britain, lecturing, showing films and helping and encouraging cerebral palsy victims and those who seek to treat their complaint. An institution in Birmingham which is dedicated to the treatment of the disease was recently named after Dr Carlson. His visit to New Zealand is, in many respects, a triumph for the Dunedin branch of the Crippled Children Society. Repeated representations have been made in Dunedin for some years for an investigation of the conditions in the Dominion, and but for the war, something might have been done earlier, The urgings of the local branch have now borne fruit, and Dr Carlson’s stay in New Zealand is expected to be of inestimable benefit, not only to sufferers in this country, but to members of the medical profession, whose opportunities of learning about the disease and its treatment have been limited.