1 Department of Pediatrics Indiana University School of Medicine 1100 West Michigan Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
The report by Smith and Lindsay in this issue encompasses with admirable conciseness and useful critique their recent examination of health services for handicapped children in Europe. Although it seems appropriate that we consider for application in this country those arrangements and techniques found helpful in countries abroad with health problems similar to our own, there are some realistic and limiting differences.
The outstanding dissimilarity is the degree of national commitment to services for handicapped children. Whether based on self-interest alone-or compassion-a sense of national obligation at least equal to that in the European countries is a prerequisite to any broad advancement in services for handicapped children in this country.