The law, however, says nothing about massage, which is well. And massage constitutes more than 90 per cent of this work. But "the Centralists" will not recognise the word "massage," because it apparently came from abroad, and the public did not so quickly associate the idea of massage as that of medical gymnastics with "the Central." They therefore hate the word "massage" and preach the absurd doctrine that its manipulations form part of the passive movements of medical gymnastics. In this hatred lies the reason why the term is omitted from the law.

For this and other reasons, as might have been expected, the law fell to the ground. Many workers learnt massage without devoting much time to the comparatively unimportant subject, for them, of medical gymnastics, and without giving any time at all to the quite useless subject, for them, of educational gymnastics. To crown the errors of "the Centralists" two institutes arose outside the "Central," which along with the unnecessary two years' course gave the equally unnecessary "diploma," but performed the necessary service of forming much better schools for physical treatment than "the Central." (These institutes are Dr. Arvedson's in Stockholm and the South Swedish in Lund.)

The "Gymnastic Directors" went quite astray concerning the monopoly of this new means of livelihood, especially in regard to that frequently excellent means of livelihood, massage; and they must have met with this misfortune in any case, since it is practically impossible to maintain such a monopoly. The "Gymnastic Directors," however, did not understand this.

The Scandinavian Association of Gymnastic Teachers, the greater number of whom are "Centralists," next went to the King with a request that the King might declare massage to be medical gymnastics, and decree that no one, except a doctor, who had not gone through "the Central" course should practise either the one or the other without becoming liable to more severe punishment than had hitherto been the rule in cases of quackery.

His Majesty referred the matter to the Medical Council, the Medical Council referred it to the Swedish Medical Association, and the latter referred it to a Committee.

The Committee expressed itself caustically on the utterly preposterous proposals, proposals contrary to the public interest, refused the "Gymnastic Directors'" amusing request that massage should be declared medical gymnastics, and pointed out that it was a question of different methods of treatment.

The Central Institute, however, without the capacity of being a good school for physical treatment, continued to produce a set of ill-trained workers to practise quackery who were hostile to and independent of the medical profession, spiteful to and persecuting each other, and prone to advertisement.

If quackery were their greatest fault, for my own part I should criticise them mildly. Those who regard the matter calmly can never be inclined to act with great severity against quackery. For instance, it cannot be denied that quackery has its good side, and the history of both medicine and surgery shows that mankind has gained much from it, that is, from the remedial work of persons without medical education. Physical therapy in particular has cause for gratitude to several such persons, especially to several German and Swedish "quacks," among others to our own great man, H. P. Ling. People of great gifts often go their own ways, perform great things without studying for examinations, and help to protect the qualified world from too much routine, trust in authority and exclusive-ness.

But the quackery of "the Centralists" is particularly harmful, since, in spite of an utterly insufficient training, it is supported by titles and a legal diploma, which puts it in a false light, and the nature of the diploma is not understood by the public.

And to crown all, these quacks persecute their rivals, who often stand far above the "Gymnastic Directors" in ability and knowledge, with rancour and sometimes with boundless ignorance of the subject, try by hook or crook to make the greater part of physical treatment into a monopoly for themselves, and would willingly exercise a tyranny as merciless and reckless as that of any socialistic trades union. I refer medical readers to the newspaper articles written especially each spring by women "Gymnastic Directors," with their naively selfish aim, their mean impudent tone to rivals and opponents, and their amazingly ignorant opinions in regard to mechano-therapy.

Meanwhile an important thing happened in 1910, which should mean the beginning of the end of these impossible conditions.

The Council of the Carolinska Institute, in accordance with a resolution passed unanimously by the members present at the meeting, approached the King with a request that a Committee should be appointed to consider, along with the reorganisation of the Central Institute, the question of instruction for medical students in medical gymnastics and massage. The object of this resolution was that a department for such instruction should be opened in this our chief medical school.

If this takes place, and it seems incredible that it should not speedily do so, the Institute of the Gymnastic Directors, in spite of all other possible conditions, must certainly, though perhaps slowly, continue its way to destruction, a result to be desired in the interests of physical therapy and the general public. Every impartial doctor with a knowledge of physical therapy must be the sworn foe of this Institute.

"The Centralists" evidently had their eyes open to the danger threatening, and set in hand an energetic and well-calculated tactical manoeuvre as a counterstroke.

After having until now praised the Central Institute to the skies, they began to speak of the necessity for the reorganisation of the Institute - chiefly with the object of saving it as a school of physical therapy.