Ratner, Herbert

English

epublications@Marquette

The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 34 | Number 2 Article 21May 1967Commission on RhythmHerbert RatnerFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationRatner, Herbert (1967) "Commission on Rhythm," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 34 : No. 2 , Article 21.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol34/iss2/21. \.j · ... :· .. ·: I ' ''· • COMMISSION ON RHYTHM Since the last report of the Com-miSSilon on Rhythm (November 1966) meetings of the Commission were held on January 13 and May 12 a1: O'Hare Inn, Ohioago. These meetings were primarily devoted to the re-examination of the Commis-sion's purpose, it's relationship to the national office of the Family Life Bureau and Family Life Direc-tors, its membership and financing. Contributing to the discussions were fifteen ph ysidans and ten pries•ts. PURPOSE Given the widening problems that were confronting society and the modern physician in the areas of sexuality, reproduction, fertility, abortion, sterilization, conception and population control- voluntary, coercive and compulsory; given the widening personal involvement of individual members of the Com-mission in these problems; given the fact that the rhyt.hm method and the rhythm philosophy were inextri-cably related to the wider dimen-sion of sexuality and its allied problems, it was concluded that the Commission should function under the wider purposes expressed above. Toward this end it is planned to change the name of the Commission to include human values ·and human reproduction. RELATIONSHIP TO FAMILY LIFE DIRECTORS It was the concensus of opinion shared by both family life directors and physician members that im-proved function and efficiency could be achieved in the Commission's 192 work were it to become ·an hider nd-ent organization of physicians, vith ancillary professional personn 1 as warranted. In this connection i was understood that since, for the nost part, individual physician mel hers of the Commission maintair d a working relationship at the ocal level with family life director and the people they represent, the . :ces-sary collaboration with fami' life work would in fact be maint ned. Furthermore, it was the thou .1t of the national family life di ·ctor, shared by all, that a period · ex-change based on common in Tests on some liaison basis wor 1 be part of the working relation[ ip of the Commission and the fam y life director group. MEMBERSHIP By common agreement anc vote, membership of the present Com-mission was restricted to ph sician members. The past policy o . open meetings and permitting nor: mem-bers, who shared the purp( ;es of the Commission, to be pre~ ·nt as guests was reaffirmed. FINANCES Two financial problems b( .et the Commission. The smaller m e per-tains to the expenses of m .:mbers attending the meetings of th = ~o.m­mission. Though most pl-ysician members of the Commission under-wrote their own expenses w llingly, it was believed tha1: for tL ~ sake of wider membership and equity, means should be worked .mt for the subsidization of attendance ~t meetings. As a first step in this LINACRE Q u ARTERLY d.irection many of the family life directors present expressed their wil-I~n.gness to s:nd in their place phy-SICians assoc1ated with their local programs. the temperature method with re-striction of coitus to the infertile period of the hyperthermic phase [showed] the failure rate was 0.8 to I .4 pregnancies per I 00 woman-years of use." The larger problem concerned it-self with the vital need for substan-tial operating funds to carry out and expand the work of the Com-mission. As an initial and prelimi-nary step~ until su~stantial funding was obtamed, family life directors of major centers offered to make financial ·contributions to the work of the Commission. With the resolu-ti~n .of th: membership of the Com-miSSIOn, It was also believed that the Commission would ·be in a better position to solicit grants from foundations and government. Active steps are · being initiated in this direction. It is now generally recognized that the oral contraceptive pills and the intrauterine coil have been a failure in the undeveloped countries of Asia. India under a new adminis-tration is now placing its hopes on an extensive sterilization program. It is yet to be demonstrated that such a .method will be accepted by the Indian people. Conceming steri-lization recent studies in Korea concluded, "The frequency of steri-lization neurosis of th.·is group leads ~s to ~el ·that a psychiatric screening Interview before the sterilization operation as an important routine THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON RHYTHM . The Third International Sympo-Sium on Rhythm has been re-scheduled for !,ate October in New York. It is expected that announce-men.ts of this meeting giving further details will be made early this summer. RHYTHM Interest in rhythm continues to grow. The Ford Foundation has granted Dr. Perin of Belgium a quarter of a million dollars for re-search in the rhythm method. The W~rid Health Organization has an kctt~~ committee on the biology of rtdi1:y control by periodic a bsti _ nence. Of interest in its report ·of luly 19, 1966 is the following: "The E ata from four studies in Western urope of the use-effectiveness of ltfty, 1967 for all new cases wanting the opera-tion is invariably required to pre-vent the sterilization neurosis that the patient would be likely to regret later." The Commission continues to be active in supplying rhythm program demonstrations on request. This spri~g De John Hillabrand, repre-sentmg the Commission, is taking a team of four people to Las Vegas and Santa Fe, New Mexico and to Wichita, Kansas for this purpose. Three additional communities have made enquiries. Dr. Tom Nabors representing the Commission has served a similar purpose for a com-munity in Texas. Two letters in appreciation of the work of the Commission have been received from far flung parts of the world again demonstrating the world wide interest in rhythm. 193 ., ,, . ':· · · . '~ ·~. ' ~ , . '' : j,'; i ... . ~ I ' , ' ' ··· , · .. '· ~ . . .. .'"'·· .. : .. . ,,. I ' I ~ ' o l f I ~, ' ' ' ,. .·:· .. : .. · . · ... . ' . '.· ·., . .. . ~ .... · t ' • •  • · 'I " •.'•'• , .... . .• ·' . .. :.· ~ '· · : •.. .-~ :· .. ·: I . . ~ . '• • . ·.. The first is from a nun-physician in Korea: I am tremendously interested in your Commission on Rhythm and would be very grateful if you could possibly supply us a copy of the Second International Symposium on Rhythm and also the third one whenever it is ready. We are anxious to pay whatever expenses it would entail to put us on your mailing list both for now and also any future literature you may have available. Korea may seem far removed from any modern approach but believe it or not even in our little rural to~n of Jeung Pyeong, we have a very act1ve Rhythm Clinic which I initiated with the assistance of one of our Sister nurses and also a qualified Korean public health nurse. It started on a small scale with leader couples from our own area attending a seminar set up in our parish with the parish priest invited to give the introductory talk. The seminars grew into more seminars and rhythm programs have expanded into other parishes where our Maryknoll Fathers and Sisters are working. So now that may give you a small idea 194 of why I am so keenly interested i your publication. All best wishes to you, · octor, and all your staff who are heir 1g to make your Commission on Rhythrr. a real success. I realize, all too well, hov' much extra time you must have to give ') this project. Blessings on you! The second letter is from an )bste-trician in Auckland, New ZeaL "ld. I was most interested in your Bull( · n No. 4 in the November issue of N ACRE QuARTERLY . Although brief, it w _; very encouraging to those who try to ' ake a practical proposition of rhythm. As would like to keep in touch with this ,·ork I would be grateful if there were so ·· e way in which you could keep me in mil -.. Per-haps you have a mailing list for ,imilar news items. This is the first B1 :etin I have seen. I have the Proceeding of the first International Symposium an. would not like to miss out on later isst· s. HERBERT RATNER, M.I Box 31, Oak Park, Illinois 60303 For the Commission. LINACRE Q u ARTERLY CA1HOLI~ ~HYSICIANS' GUILD . The hstmg below gives th ;:::t.::~r, ;, each Catholic Ph~i= ~uif.j• ~;.sident, followed by the on. ese groups constitute the organizati~n. Iated with the National ALABAMA Mobile Edward A. Dudley, Jr., M.D. 2 No. Florida St. Reverend Patrick H. Yancey, S.J . . ARIZONA Phoenix Charles P. Dries MD 2023W ' .. V . Bethany Home Road ery Reverend Francis Moore, S.J. Tucson Thomas Bradel D D s 404 N. Alverno~ Way· Reverend Charles Rourke . CALIFORNIA Bakersfield John J. Cawley, M.D. P. 0. Box 2087 1921 18th St. Very Rev. Msgr. Roger McCann Fresno William Duprey, M.D. 4134 E. Clinton Very Rev. Msgr. John F. Durkin Los Angeles Donald J. Greco MD 411 E. lOth St. ' . . Long Beach, Calif. Rt. Rev. Msgr J J T · · · ruxaw Oakland Frank E. Rapp, M.D. 5845 College Ave Oakland, Calif. · Reverend Thomas B. Gallagher Sacramento William T. Kelley M D ~BOO Professional Dri~e · everend Michael Cormack MAY, 1967 San Diego Lawrence E. Reck M D 2950 6th Avenue ' · · Reverend William Shipley Santa Clara Salvatore V. Campisi M b 935 The Alameda ' · ' San Jose, Calif. 95126 Reverend William Boyle San Francisco Michael T. Michaels M D 541 Castro St. ' · · Very Rev. Msgr. T. E. O'Brien Sonoma County William J. Dunn M D 1174 Montgomer~ D~. Santa Rosa, California Rt. Rev. Msgr. Erwin Becker COLORADO Denver Joseph McCloskey, M.D. 6440 E. Colfax Avenue Very Rev. Msgr. G. R. Evans CONNECTICUT Norwich Joseph J. Mahoney, M.D 7 4 Ox Hill Road Rt. Rev. Terence P. Finnegan Stamford M. Joseph Mancinelli MD East Lane, Revanah Wo~d~ Rt. Rey. Msgr. P. J. Donnelly DELAWARE Wilmington Allen C. Wooden MD 204 School House' La~e · Bellefonte, Delaware Reverend Thomas J. Reese ·~ " I ':'. ' • ' , I . .. •· . • •• 1 . ' ' • . , .. ' •·· · ' I : ":.. ... . . ' .. -·· ·· .. .. ..• "' ' . ,· .. .· . . ·. . . . . '' • I , · .. ·, · . ~ ·. .. . .. . . ' . 

Commission on Rhythm

https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2810&amp;context=lnq

Commission on Rhythm

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

epublications@Marquette