View report page

14
A number of samples of milk were submitted for bacterial
count or for the presence of tubercle bacilli, details of which
will be found in the report of the Sanitary Inspector.
TREATMENT OF RHEUMATISM.
Details of the Council's scheme for the treatment of
rheumatism were given in my report for 1943. The general
arrangements continued successfully during the year, the cost
of the scheme to the Council being £968. During the year 80
new patients attended, and a total of 5,570 treatments was
given.
I am indebted to Dr. Francis Bach, consultant in rheumatic
diseases to the Red Cross Curative Post for the following note :—
" During the past year the Rheumatic Clinic has continued
its routine activities. There have been 3,314 attendances
in the Physical Medicine Department. As before,
a considerable number of patients have been referred for
X-ray and pathological investigations, and two patients
have been admitted under my care into the Rheumatic Unit
at St. Stephen's Hospital, L.C.C.
Research into rheumatic diseases is progressing along
several lines. We have known for a long time that constitutional
factors are important. Certain forms of rheumatism,
such as gout and spondylitis ankylopoetica are seen
much more frequently in men than in women, whereas
rheumatoid arthritis and Heberden's nodes are much more
common in women.
. We are now finding that persons of one sex who get
a form of rheumatism which is common in the other sex
may have many of the physical characteristics of that sex.
An example of that in the Arts is Motley's picture of
Margaret of Parma, with " her imperious temper, her masculine
appearance, her moustache and her gout." We have
shown the importance of psychological upsets as trigger
factors in the causation of rheumatoid arthritis and fibrositis.
Also, we are convinced of the importance of