HC Deb 21 January 1970 vol 794 c158W
Sir R. Russell

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress is being made with research into the causes and cure of osteo-arthritis.

Mr. Fowler

Although many difficult problems remain, progress is gradually being made both in the understanding of this condition and in the development of methods of treatment. A great deal of information is now available on the genetic, dietetic, bio-chemical, endocrine and mechanical factors in osteo-arthritis, all of which have been shown to play some part in the causation of this condition. As in any disease process with many different causal factors, prevention may prove almost impossible, but surgery has provided an effective remedy in at least one area—the hip joint. Further research is being conducted in the grafting of cartilage and joints.