A manual of treatment by massage and methodical muscle exercise / by Joseph Schreiber ; translated, with the author's permission, by Walter Mendelson.

Date:
1887
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of treatment by massage and methodical muscle exercise / by Joseph Schreiber ; translated, with the author's permission, by Walter Mendelson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    Ling’s method is the only truly rational therapeutic means for the cure of chronic disturbances of motility, such as result from spinal curvature, for pseudo-ankylosis, the phthisical ten- dency, pigeon-breast, peripheral paralysis, etc. Even in cases of paralysis from lesions of the cord, it may still effect a cure, where all other measures, undertaken after the original disease has run its course, will be found useless. Ling’s gymnastics have an even greater and more certain effect upon innervation and nutrition than the common form of gym- nastic exercises. Spinal [lateral] curvatures resulting from faulty carriage (in consequence of a preponderance of muscular force of one side of the body) are nowadays never treated by any good orthopaedist by any other means than the Swedish system. Still, equally good results are obtained by purely active (German) therapeutic gymnastics, when intelli- gently applied, as when active and passive movements are combined. One great advantage which the use of the German form has, arises from the simple and easily understood terms employed. How indicative of the movements to be performed are, for instance, such terms as finger-flexion, arm-rotation, leg-lifting, knee-extension, body-circling, shoulder-hitting, elbows back, hewing, mowing, etc. In 1835, Stromeyer declared that of all means employed in orthopaedy against spinal curvature, gymnastics was the most effective and rapid. He did not think a differentiation of the means employed, according to the varying pathological conditions causing curvature, possible at that period; but he recognized, nevertheless, the merit of the Hanoverian royal physician, Leutin, who first recommended suspension by the hands for this affection. The treatment of scolioses by the Ling system, which has scored some of its greatest successes in this very department, requires, however, quite a special study, and can hardly be carried out without both apparatus aud trained assistants. PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF GYMNASTICS. The powerful influence exerted by bodily exercise upon the health, and its secondary effects upon the activity of the brain
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