CRISIS IN MEDICINE
Sot,—M. D. raises two interesting points upon which [should like to comment :
1. Speech therapists have always desired co-opera- tion with the doctors, under whom they work, and from whom they—as a rule—obtain their patients. All too often this co-operation has not been forth- coming, nor indeed any interest shown; contact has been avoided and reports and inquiries frequently unacknowledged.
Many doctors are quite unaware of the scope of a speech therapist, with the notable exceptions of the county medical officers and many eminent ENT specialists, paediatricians, psychiatrists and neurolo- gists.
It is not possible to follow leadership where none is produced. In my wide experience I have never come across a speech therapist, senior or junior, who would not welcome a greater understanding from the doctors, GPs in particular, both for the sake of the patient, who has frequently only discovered by chance that a speech therapist can assist, and for the therapist him /herself, who can play such a vital part in the cure or improvement of a frequently dis- tressed and anxious person.
2. It may interest M. D. to know that both almoners and speech therapists are not medical auxiliaries, as stated. I believe both professions desire to remain loyal to their medical colleagues and would welcome a new and imaginative approach in the doctors' leadership.—Yours faithfully, SPEECH THERAPIST
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