STUDIES of patients with chronic arthritis reveal that they have disturbances not only in the joints but also in the major systems of the body. It is conceivable that the systemic manifestations of the disorder are referable to deviations of function secondary to some central factor. Information on this possibility, however, is not sufficiently well developed to establish such an hypothesis-as fact. In any event the clinical syndrome of arthritis cannot now be regarded as a symptom-complex produced by a single extraneous agent or agency, such as infection. It is, indeed, recognised that many factors are operative in bringing about the syndrome. It appears reasonable, therefore, at least for the present, to consider the disorder, not as a consequence of a partial attack by a single aetiologic agent, but rather as a resultant of the cumulative effects of a " total war " waged by various contributing factors, with varying emphasis, respectively, upon and in the body as a whole. Any therapeutic regimen to be regarded as satisfactory must, therefore, combat not only one but all of the impinging destructive agencies. Measures directed toward single deviations characterising the disease (that is, partial support) are usually inadequate, except by chance. Active intervention must proceed against all directly destructive or subversive influences within the body, such as physical fatigue, anemia, nervous or endocrinous imbalance, faulty nutrition, postural defects and focal infection. In short, a programme of therapy to be effective must involve " total support " of the patient. " Total support " implies and may be defined as a correlation of various therapeutic procedures which, applied singly, may be of slight avail in arresting the disease, but when applied in coordination and appropriately are of great and apparently unappreciated value. Added significance attaches to the conception of " total support " of the arthritic in that the doctrine of focal infection, *
