This post follows a blogpost on a brief history of the 1st WCPT Congress in London in 1953. You can access this post here. Catherine Worthingham from the USA - who would later give her name to prestigious APTA Fellowships - gave a talk on Trends in physical therapy education that is worth briefly quoting from: Although physical therapy is one of the oldest forms of patient care, it is a relative newcomer to the constellation of medical and medical auxiliary professions. This fact is both a handicap and an advantage. A handicap, because recognition and appropriate support for a new field of professional effort is hard to obtain. An advantage, in that as a new profession we are not … [Read more...] about Catherine Worthington’s notes from the 1st WCPT Congress in 1953
The first congress of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy c.1953
'The beginnings of any organization are important, for on them rests the future' Mildred Elison, President of WCPT in 1953 [wpvideo FfJ8iN13] Given that the 17th WCPT congress in Singapore begins on 1 May 2015 and runs for four days, I thought it might be timely to remember the first congress and reflect on what has changed and what has stayed the same. The first WCPT Congress was held 62 years ago in London and ran from 7-12 September 1953. There were 25 countries represented at the conference, and each day focused on a different clinical theme: physical therapy in neuromuscular disorders; rheumatic diseases; diseases of the chest; rehabilitation of injured war veterans; physical … [Read more...] about The first congress of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy c.1953
Physiotherapy at Gallipoli – a small commemoration
This weeks represents an important landmark in World War I commemorations, with Saturday 25th April marking 100 years to the Gallipoli landings and what the Turks call Çanakkale Savaşı (the Battle of Çanakkale). During the nine month campaign more than 120,000 soldiers died and there were estimated to be more nearly 400,000 casualties, and so I thought it might be poignant to reflect briefly on the small but significant role that physiotherapists played in the care of wounded soldiers, particularly those Australians and New Zealanders who have a very special Anzac Day service to attend this year. As news of the slaughter at Gallipoli reached the colonial government in New Zealand, it was … [Read more...] about Physiotherapy at Gallipoli – a small commemoration
Social determinants of health – are we doing enough?
Physiotherapists don't generally think our profession is 'political.' We mostly work on people's bodies, in one-to-one sessions, and few of us use our social standing as respected, orthodox health professionals to campaign for community causes. There are no physiotherapy-specific models of population health, and subjects like primary health care and health promotion are only just beginning to appear in undergraduate curricula. So while physiotherapists are experts in the assessing and treating the body-as-machine, and we are increasingly interested in people lived experiences of health and illness, we are less aware of the social determinants of health. Social determinants are those … [Read more...] about Social determinants of health – are we doing enough?
Soaking
Over the summer, I worked with one of my students on a project to locate any signs of physical therapies (massage and manipulation, remedial gymnastics, electrotherapy, and hydrotherapy) in New Zealand during the 19th century. Although physical therapies were hugely popular in Europe and North America at the time, they appear to have been almost unused in New Zealand, which is surprising since the indigenous Māori population were known to use massage (mirimiri) and hot spring water for treatment, and the early settlers would have known and practiced these therapies too. It seems that New Zealand was much like a frontier settlement before 1900, with most people working in farming, gold … [Read more...] about Soaking
What work is
Something reflective for your Easter weekend. Happy holidays everyone. What work is - by Phllip Levine We stand in the rain in a long line waiting at Ford Highland Park. For work. You know what work is--if you're old enough to read this you know what work is, although you may not do it. Forget you. This is about waiting, shifting from one foot to another. Feeling the light rain falling like mist into your hair, blurring your vision until you think you see your own brother ahead of you, maybe ten places. You rub your glasses with your fingers, and of course it's someone else's brother, narrower across the shoulders than yours but with the same sad slouch, the grin that does not hide the … [Read more...] about What work is
Childhood obesity, play and critical thinking
One of the most important functions of critical thinking is to go 'against' the prevailing wisdom: to go against convention; to think the impossible or the unreasonable; to entertain the possibility that our present way of thinking is neither the best or most appropriate way. One way to do this is to look back to a time when people thought otherwise and to ask whether we are necessarily smarter today, or just different. This is not easy to do. Thinking against conventional wisdom immediately puts you in a minority position and opens you up to the easy dismissal of the comfortably popular. But that's exactly why critical thinking is so important, because it is directed at tomorrow, not … [Read more...] about Childhood obesity, play and critical thinking