EFFECTS OF RHEUMATISM.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 5 July 1928, Page 8

EFFECTS OF RHEUMATISM.

5.230,000 WEEKS’ \VOEK LOST. NEW TREATMENTS. One of the snlbjecife 'touched oh by the British Minister of Health when the Estimate* for hits depaintinenit were under discusision in five House was rheumaltjs.ni aind its .eflfewta. There were really two- distinct groups of diseases', >sladd Mr Neville Chamberlain, which came under the heading of rli eutmuit isi u—a eu to rheumatic fever which .so often attacked childrleh, and. which’ wals- frequently aissoeiaited iwditoh heart disease’, and chronic rhehmatism of thp jointis and ,muscles, which frequently disabled inidiu'sitria.l .workers. Last year •approved' soei'etiete' spent on sickness benefit amid medical 'benefit for rheumatic insured persons £5,000,000, and in' .the same year 5,250,000 •weeks ’ •work were lost owing .to ithe imeMieutee of rheumatism among imsulred person's. They calculated that rboainlaitism accounted for one-sixth of the whole iindiustaia'l invalidity of the country, v With regard Ito rheumatism, ho wals told that the treatment which afforded the best hope wals. one of prolonged relsit in institutions', and the Ministry of Health, during the past two or three years, had tried to encourage the provision of hospital accommodation sot apart specially for this punposie.. Today, for the first time, we hald actually got front 400 to 500 beds specially earmarked foir the treatment of acute rheumatism. As regarded chronic rheumatism, 'the first thing required, there was advice, .because- the eauscis of this rheumatism were many and various, and it 'might, amid very frequently did', spring front sonic local centre of infection. It might be- the teeth that tyore wrong, or the tomlsi'ls',' or the interistinal tract. In the a'bsen.ce of advice, people accepted rheumatism as though it wa.s a- sort of act of God, which could not be prevented, and for which n’othing •couldhe done; yet, under the advice of the specialist, it might bo traced Ito •sonic quite easily removable dauSc, and tlve suffering might be almost 'instantaneously relieved.

SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE. A great deal was being' done for: thalt. In the ease.of the children, there was the school dental service, which omployd something like 600 dentists, and was treating about 1,000,000 children a year. In the calsc of the elder insured persons, there .was the dental bon'efit, tn which approvdi 'societies wore n'ow deviating some £3,000,000 a yealr, with a result which ho hoped would ’Show itself in. a. lessened demand upon the funds in the futurte from rheumatism, and the consequent incapacity to work. At. present approved societies were- paying about £250,000 a year to two hospitals for the treatment of their patients, and another £200,000 a year wais being devoted to convalescent homes in connection with which, in some cases, there was now being developed' spa treatment.

RADIANT HEAT. But. they felt that something more than this wals required, and that there forms of treatment, especially! those eonn'cclted -with radiant heat and light, which, had shown very .promising results experimen,tally; and which the Ministry desired) to see extended .for the ben.cfit of a larger part of the population. The Red Gross \Society was now trying- to orgaUis'e tlie setting up of aln 'experimental clime of this kind in' London.., nmd as soon .ais that wais ready he proposed, by regulation', to authorise approved societies Ito make a contribution to. that clinic and to obtain treatment for their members there. The committee would realise that the full development of a preventive and curative system 1 In connection with rheumatism must mean the expenditure of very large sums of money. It might be that in the present financial state of the country it- was not possible to carry on that development ;us rapidly as wo should wish, but at any rate we. were ait la Sit beginning to realise the nature, ofthe idus'e ais© with which, we had to cope. We were beginning to realise the extent to which it was crippling our ■people, and as that knowledge became more widespread lie thought we should see a willingness to devote to- the improvement of those conditions whatever money might be found neces'sary.

Eilictuaualtis'ni, alt semes, i's rcsp'oinls’ibl© for •on'CHSttxit’h 'Oif industrial invalidity, nind costs the approved societies £5,000,000 a year in ibamciltls'.