M 122
The above is an outline of the average dietary of the patients when they were active at work. It is noteworthy that invariably they all used white rice as the chief ingredient for carbohydrate, and their vitamin B reserve is very much limited. Most patients when advised of their diet on discharge can afford to eat red rice which is slightly more expensive than the white rice. Those who work in factories, mines or as an apprentice in small workshops, however, find difficulty in following the advice. It would help a great deal if some rule could be enforced from the Labour Office on the dietary of these institutions.
III. INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS AETIOLOGICAL FACTORS ON THE RATE OF RECOVERY.
Rate of recovery is best and most constantly gauged clinically by the degree of recovery of motor functions. As the patients on admission are of various degrees of functional loss, it is conveniently divided into stages as bedridden, able to sit, able to walk, and able to perform the squatting test. Owing to the difference of time required to promote from one stage to the other the shortest time used is noted from the stage of sitting to stand or from stand to walk. This time is taken as one unit rate of recovery. It is experienced that the units required for the various stages can be roughly calculated from the progress chart as shown on the opposite page.