8 1R, - - May I congratulate your paper on bring- ing
a real Expense of Shame' to the public's hotice. For one who has spent half a life- time in an attempt to solve humanly and sen- .RiblY the problem you set forth (the method Used being considered highly successful by a Vast number of people and costing the tax- payer and the State nothing)—I venture to State that the figures you quote give but a conservative picture of this gigantic problem In terms of economic loss to the country. 'he blame for this lies with the general pub- lic as much as it does with official and statu- tory bodies, for, during the past eight years, p I have from time to time drawn the attention :Of the Government-to the fact of this appal- ling leakage in terms of human effort and the hational economy. The Michael Works Ex- Periment, which I had the honour to found, Pointed conclusively to the answer in a Unique way, for it showed in practice how Medical rehabilitation with treatment on the job could be economically successful as well us achieving 'maximum rehabilitation results. ror those who are interested, details of the experiment and its implication for the future have been published in a report of evidence to the Piercy Committee which is in session 110W, and in book form under the title ▪ brough Movement to Life (Chapman & The utter confusion that exists where a rehabilitation programme is concerned, and the sheer waste of knowledge that has been Rained in the field of medical rehabilitation of the handicapped and crippled are matters that deserve the greatest amount of publicity Possible. Instead of this, more and more Public money is being poured into futile experiments which cannot lead us beyond the ftndings that we already possess but have bailed to apply. Rehabilitation, in order to Succeed, must be a continuons process which iinks the medical to the industrial aspect, with the wealth of professional, commercial and administrative opportunities that industry provides.
The existing approach to the problem is like the many parts of a machine before it has been assembled; what is needed is the skilled hand to bring the parts together in order that the machine can be made to work, and so Provide the country with the best possible service.—Yours faithfully, 7 Bracknell Gardens, N.W.3
JOHN ARTHUR
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