Organization of Rheumatism Research and Treatment in Sweden

As I understand the term,," rheumatism research " includes clinicaf investigation for further differ- entiation, and search for the aetiological factor or factors in acute rheumatic fever and chronic arthritis." When this factor is discovered and established ", says an old textbook, " it should be easy to determine its precise relations to the fairly well studied lesions in several organs."Un- fortunately, we know too little to say much about it.In Sweden we thought that in present circumstances we could do nothing better than build an institute for research.This institute, which we hope will open early in 1948, is called " The Institute of Gustav V for Research into the Chief Invaliding Diseases, especially Rheumatism and Poliomyelitis ". * Summary of a lecture given before the Empire Rheumatism Council on October 26, 1946.many threads connecting these two deficiency diseases with the problem of vitamins.Similarly, from rheumatism as a clinical disease there are fine rootlets leading down to the origin of the evil.Laboratory research devises new methods which are necessary if such work is to be pursued to its con- clusions, but these methods must be applied to the clinically diseased patient.By following the small but important and often long overlooked clinical features, the research worker may get inspiration.