23.7. 1993 Vitoria-Gasteiz / Spain - World Federation of Music Therapy

achieving such status may be overstated if not
erroneous.
For Music Therapy, and the Arts Therapies in general,
in Brítain and the USA, there appears to be a great deal
of importance attached to achieving independence
through practice legislature (Bruscia 1989). The widely
held assumption that putting music therapy practice on
a legal footing would achieve independence, status and
finacial security of the other professional may not be
true in practice. At the beginning of the century in Britain
groups of healthcare workers, together with some of the
traditional healers, sought to improve their position in
the marketplace and to achieve recognition
independent from the medical profession. The Dentists
alone were fully successful, becoming fully autonomous
through new legislation. The Herbalists were
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unsuccessful. Their bill of registration was described by
the Ministry of Health as, unusually good as Private Bills
go, but in substance most; mischievous (Ministry of
Health cited in Larkin 1983). Despite reference to their
protection by Henry VIII, the bill was rejected on the
grounds that if the herbalists were given recognition, it
would have to be given to any other type of practice
(Larkin 1983). The surgeons had their revenge and the
King no doubt rolled in his grave.
Partial success was gained by the Physiotherapists,
Occupational Therapists, Radiographers and other
paramedical occupations through the 1963 Profession
Supplimentary to Medicine Act. Although gaining legal
recognition they were still under medical domination in
that they could not reskill themselves and that medical
practitioners legally held the majority on the various
governing boards. Defined working practices are still
very clearly under medical supervision. Not only did