Paraffin-wax baths in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

The physical treatment most frequently used for the hands in rheumatoid arthritis is the local paraffinwax bath. It was first described by Humphris (1919) and since then has been in general use. The standard textbooks of physical medicine and rheumatology refer to wax baths as being of value, but we have been unable to find any critical attempt to assess this. It is unusual for a patient with rheumatoid arthritis to be admitted to this hospital who has not received prolonged courses of paraffinwax baths at other hospitals, usually in the outpatient department. Wax baths are also extensively used at the Devonshire Royal Hospital, approximately 10,000 individual wax treatments being given each year. Although evaluating the effect of any form of therapy in rheumatoid arthritis is notoriously difficult, especially if dramatic results cannot be expected, it was decided to investigate the progress of the hands treated with paraffin wax, and compare them with those of an untreated series of patients.