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The following clinical notes on the cases treated have been supplied by Dr. Beaumont,
who is responsible for the opinions expressed:—
Clinical Observations.
(a) Skin re-action.
No attempt has been made to group children according to any classification of skin
texture and colour of hair, chiefly because, up to the present, it has not been practical to
make any useful classification. Certain features have, however, been noted.
(i) That the primary skin re-action (resulting from the red rays) do not necessarily
indicate the body's re-action to the ultra-violet rays.
(ii) That the secondary re-action usually occurs, as far as can be gathered, six hours
after the primary, and there appears to be some connection between the
primary and secondary skin re-actions.
(iii) That pigmentation is an individual characteristic and not the criterion of
general benefit.
(iv) That some skins re-act only slightly to the red rays, and as far as can be
gathered show no secondary re-action, and yet these children materially
benefit by the treatment.
(b) Weight.
These are taken once each week by the same nurse under the same conditions before
treatment. Observations show —
(i) That a child whose weight has remained stationary for some weeks before
treatment will gain weight after a few treatments, and continue this as long
as treatment is given.
(ii) That a child who lias been losing weight will continue to lose for three or four
treatments and will then increase.
(iii) That no child under treatment puts on an abnormal amount.
Treatment is not continued should the child lose weight steadily.
(r) Temperature and Pulse.
These are taken before and after treatment. The only useful observation about
temperature is that children who had sub-normal temperatures when they started treatment
showed a gradual tendency to approximate to the normal during a course of
treatment. Very few cases of rise of temperature immediately after treatment have
occurred.
Blood pressure, Photographic records, Radiographs.
None of these have been undertaken, owing to lack of necessary equipment and facilities.
Effectiveness and value of the Treatment for the different types of cases.
(i) Enlarged Glands of Neck, irrespective of cause, show a most marked response to
treatment.
(ii) Cases of early bone manifestations of rickets where the anterior fontanelle has not
closed at 18 months invariably respond quickly.
(iii) Cases of Bronchitis (a) those associated with teething, (b) those with history of
parental respiratory trouble. All these groups have given most satisfactory
results.