Welsh Journals

of the Welsh Union, to all the overseas visitor^ The hostess welcomed more than four hundred visitors to the Eisteddfod, the great majority of whom came from overseas. The President of the Welsh Council, Mr. David Davies, spoke of the work of the Welsh League of Nations Union, and the Rev. Gwilym Davies described the achievements of the League. Dr. Dan Protheroc, a faithful eisteddfodwr, replied on behalf of the overseas visitors, and Sir Vincent Evans and the Archdruid Pedrog also addressed the gather- ing. The reception closed with the singing of "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau." In the Arts and Crafts Section of the Eistedd- fod, which was visited by many thousands of people during the Eisteddfod Week and the fol- lowing week and by all the school children of CIVILISATION AND THE CRIPPLE" MR. Watson has succeeded admirably in his attempt-the first of its kind-to sum- marise the problem of the cripple in all its aspects (and he uses the word in its widest sense), a formidable task when one considers the size and complexity of the issues that have to be presented. Even to those engaged in this work, its magnitude when fully set forth, must come as a revelation. Mr. Watson is well qualified for his task. He founded and has edited since 1924 the Inter- national Quarterly called the "Cripple." Fo' the last six years he has studied at home and abroad the social problems connected with crip- pling conditions. He is a County Director of the British Red Cross Society and chairman of the Montgomeryshire Voluntary Orthopaedic Associ- ation, and at one time occupied the post of Deputy Controller, Appointments Departments, Ministry of Labour. The historical chapter describing the fate of the cripple throughout the ages is particularly interesting, and is a triumph of conciseness. He brings home to us very forcibly that disablement is a social problem, not a medical one; that it deals not only wit1- the crippled in limb, but with the crippled in heart and the crippled in lung; with those who are disabled bv disease as well as with those who are permanently maimed by injury with adults even more than with child- ren. By Frederick Watson. Bale and Danielson. 10s. 6d. net. Llanelly and district in the week preceding the Eisteddfod, the Welsh Council were fortunate to be allowed to include a small stand. A model Beam Wireless Station, fashioned on that of Marconi, which is now in the South Kensington Museum, was constructed by Mr. H. C. David, of Radyr, and the more attractively printed re- plies to the 1930 Message were arranged around the model. A very satisfactory report has been received, which shows that this stand excited considerable interest among all those who visited the Arts and Crafts Section. Incidentally, it may be noted that the Eisteddfod Committee at Llanelly succeeded admirably in their attempt to increase the attention paid to this section of the Eisteddfod. D.H.L. A Review by D. A. Powell, M.D. He rightly stresses the temperamental re- actions associated with deformity and disability, which are frequently greater obstacles to re- habilitation than the conditions which produce them. Just as the blind man has "to learn how to be blind" so the cripple has to learn how to be a cripple taught not to repine or resign him- self to his fate, but to be the captain of his soul and the master of his disability. He points out the steps necessary for salvation-discovery, treatment, education (in children), training, in- dustrial rehabilitation, and above all, prevention. He drives home the fact that there are crip- pling diseases as well as crippling injuries, headed by that grim quartette; infantile paraly- sis, rickets, tuberculosis, and rheumatism and the greatest of these is tuberculosis. In this disease civilised man has to pay a heavy price in disablement for the respite from death which he has so hardly won. Although infantile paralysis is only just held in check, rickets is on the run before the march of modern medicine, even surgical tuberculosis (at any rate in children) is steadily diminishing. but the crippling of the heart so often associated with acute rheumatism. and the crippling of the lungs due to consumption and its allies, still holds us' in thrall. But while tuberculosis alone probably accounts for approximately 70 per cent. of orthopaedic crippling in children in adults 70 per cent. of orthopaedic crippling is due to injury. Since 1918, our peace casualties (excluding fatal accid-