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CHAPTER 4
facilities and sport. The Unit was started with 25 beds but has been gradually increased
to 70 beds. The excellent work this Unit has been doing since its inception has no doubt
stimulated other organizations in Spain to organize better facilities for the treatment of
spinal cord afflictions. Small units have since been set up in Madrid and Toledo, another
in the General Hospital at Barcelona and one recently in Valencia within a general
Rehabilitation Centre. The Valencia unit, at present with 40 beds, is under the leadership
of Dr V.Forner, one of my former co-workers. At the invitation of a committee set up
by the Spanish Government, I advised in the setting up of a National Spinal Injury
Hospital of 200 beds which is now being built in Toledo. In recent years paraplegic
athletes have taken part in the Stoke Mandeville Games.
SWITZERLAND
In 1957 I was asked by a Swiss Committee consisting of civilian as well as Army authori–
ties, including members of the medical profession, to advise in the establishment of a
Spinal Injuries Centre for a comprehensive management of paraplegics and tetraplegics,
as it was realized how much such an institution was needed. Finally, it was decided to
build this Centre in Basle, a German-speaking canton within the grounds of an institu–
tion for chronic invalids, called
Milchsuppe
(milk soup), as there already existed work–
shops and facilities for vocational training as well as for sheltered work. However, mainly
due to financial difficulties, progress in the realization of the project was slow and it was
not until June 1967 that this Centre was opened. However, the original idea that this
Centre should admit traumatic paraplegics and tetraplegics immediately or in the early
days after injury for comprehensive treatment and resettlement was not implemented,
due to financial restrictions made by the Insurances concerned regarding immediate
admission of the patients. Moreover, this Centre had a difficult start due also to friction
between members of the medical staff and the lay administrator, which resulted in the
resignation of two senior medical members, one of them the medical director of the
Unit. Recently, traumatic paraplegics and tetraplegics in the early stages have been
admitted to the unit and it is hoped that the unit will revert to its original purpose,
provided full theatre facilities are installed.
While the Spinal Unit at Basle was being planned and its construction started, the
University Hospital 'Beau Sejour' in Geneva took the initiative in 1963 to set up its own
Spinal Injuries Centre within the reorganized Department of Physical Medicine (Director
Professor Pallet), which was opened in 1965 under the leadership of Dr A.Rossier, him–
self a traumatic paraplegic, to serve the French-speaking regions. Dr Rossier had part
of his training at Stoke Mandeville. This unit started with 20 beds but has been enlarged
to 40 beds to cope with the demand of other French-speaking cantons. Rossier (1967)
has given details about his Unit. The Unit admits male and female patients at and over
the age of 15 years and has all the facilities of the University Hospital at its disposal.
Acute traumatic cord lesions are admitted to the Emergency Department of the hospital
where they are seen immediately by the Director of the Spinal Unit in consultation with
the neurosurgeon and where the necessary X-rays are taken. Provided that there are no
specialized surgical or other procedures indicated, the patient is immediately admitted
