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[VISCOUNT MASSEREENE and Ferrard.] cartilage out and could not walk because my knee was doubled up. My GP could do nothing about it and neither could another GP to whom I went. I was advised that I should have to be treated by the surgeon's knife. I did not fancy that because I was reasonably young then and quite active. I thought that if the surgeons got at my knee I should probably not be able to climb or run so well. So I went to what in those days was called a "quack”. He made up a preparation which appeared to be a mixture of iodine and castor oil. I thought "Oh, my God, he is going to ask me to drink this muck". Of course he did not ask me to do that, but he massaged my knee two or three times with this amazing mixture and I have never again had any trouble since. That made me think a bit. But I would hardly call that a natural medicine; it was a bit too simple for that.
When we speak of natural medicine, I am sure-though I may be wrong-that many of your Lordships do not realise that 39 factories manufacture these natural medicines, with a turnover of £50 million a year. This is increasing every year. The new rules regarding medicine that came in with the 1968 Act and the thalidomide tragedy, which was caused by synthetic medicine, quite rightly made the reviewing of medicines far stricter than perhaps it had been. Under that Act, the Minister was bound to have on his commission of experts representation from the Natural Medicines Group, under whom these factories operate. The Minister had that provision to start with, but apparently today there is no such expert from the Natural Medicines Group to advise the commission. The members of the commission are all experts in their sphere, but their sphere is not natural medicine. It is rather like appointing a zoologist to a committee of botanists. What the Natural Medicines Group wants is to go back to the position that existed after the 1968 Act and to have some representation on the Minister's commission.
I should like to ask the Minister if he will pass that on to the appropriate department in the Department of Health and Social Security to see whether the natural medicines group can be given representation on this commission. It seems wrong that it is not represented. I feel that if it is not, the commission will, in time, phase out natural medicines. That would be a disaster, for there would then be a surge of unlicensed medicines because the public use these medicines and the practice is growing. It would be unfortunate if that happened, because no one wants the market flooded with unlicensed medicines.
The other matter I should like to raise is that I do not understand why there cannot be more harmony between orthodox medicine and the therapy practitioners. It is a growing movement today. Plato said in the Republic in 382 BC that the cure of the part should not be attempted without treatment of the whole. It is a great error of our day in the treatment of the human body that physicians first separate the soul from the body.
I will not go into the details of the therapies because many of your Lordships will know more than I do, but there are basically five therapies, and I may say that their names are very difficult to pronounce: osteopa- thy, chiropraxis, herbal medicine, homeopathy and
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acupuncture. The Institute of Complementary Medicine does have leading practitioners in all these services.
I believe we must remember that, in our urban society and I think that we are 90 per cent. urban in this country-the strains of living in modern society have brought tensions of mind which, of course, also bring physical tensions to the body that were quite unknown to our forefathers. The therapies come into their own here. They play a great part in the nation's health.
The Institute of Complementary Medicine is extremely concerned at the quality of professional practitioners. Training is of particular concern to the institute because, if there is not excellent training and complete safety, the public will not have full confidence. One of the things that the institute is doing as regards education is setting up institutions which have education committees to assess the various curricula. Training in these therapies varies according to the discipline. The study time ranges from two to six years and students also have to understand the essential medical sciences.
My Lords, I think that I have spoken long enough, but I should like to say that I believe there should be some official acknowledgment; for it is very disheartening for students-and some of these young people are brilliant and rise to the heights of their profession-that there is no such acknowledgment. I really cannot see why it should not be granted. I appreciate that some of the associations within the therapies do not always see eye to eye, but I entreat them to try to come together, because otherwise I imagine that they will not get this official acknowledgment-by which I mean that, if they have official acknowledgment, then, like the dentists (and I assume that students in dentistry get grants) they will get grants just as do other students. Even students doing pottery get grants. How much more important, surely, is it that students who are saving people from suffering should get grants? It is not that I am asking for grants. The institute, like many others of these associations, is a charitable effort, for which I think it is much to be admired.
My Lords, I should like to end on the point that, again, I implore the various associations who practise these therapies to try to come together. The Institute of Complementary Medicine obviously has no wish to try to monopolise-in fact, they could not do so the various other associations; but I feel that it offers a kind of shell within which the various associations could come together and form a loose federation. Eventually it might happen that one day it would become affiliated to the BMA. I have great respect for the BMA, but I hope that it will not follow King Canute in regard to the natural medicines and therapies because it will not hold back the tide; this is a growing organisation. I beg to move for Papers.
5.36 p.m.
Lord Winstanley: My Lords, I am sure that I speak for all noble Lords when I say how delighted I was to hear that the noble Viscount had been saved those years ago from the surgeon's knife. The story that the noble Viscount told is one which, as a doctor, I have heard on many occasions. But I say that it is an