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The majority of children in group I were cases of hereditary congenital deaf mutism. The next two
groups were mostly cases of neglected middle ear suppuration, the results of colds or acute fevers.
Scarlatina does not figure very largely at present as a cause of bringing children into the deaf schools.
The last group is almost entirely cases due to throat deafness from neglected adenoids or nasal
obstruction; they had been submitted by teachers as unfit for ordinary school work, and this very
correctly. Many of them were so improved during the month or two of probation given before
sending them to a deaf school, that they were rendered fit for the elementary school. Strictly speaking,
none of these 44 children would have been sent to the elementary school had any more suitable
place been available. In none of these cases could hearing for speech be taken as more than a fifth
off normal. A forced whisper heard at 25 yards is normal hearing for school children.
Eight cases were assigned to meningitis. In five of these it was a sudden illness about the age
of three. The child was taken either with fits or vomiting, and recovered, but was unable to walk
steadily for some time, and was stone deaf, rapidly losing speech. Two others had meningitis of which
no account beyond the name of the disease could be given, and one boy of five had had "tubercular
meningitis" diagnosed and been "unconscious for months." All these cases presented absolute nerve
deafness. In America, cerebro-spinal meningitis is the commonest cause assigned for total deafness,
but it is a very rare disease in this country.
It is to be remarked that of the whole 615 cases seen, 33 have alien names, and of these 15 are
cases of deaf mutes, three being so mentally defective that two of them were rejected as imbeciles
High Myopia.—In looking through the notes of the cases which have been seen at the Head
office 44 are cases of myopia, varying from 6 to 16 dioptres in children between 5 and 15 years of
age; 31 were girls and 13 boys, although it is generally understood that both sexes are equally disposed to
myopia. In doubtful cases the manner of disposal of these children was to explain the nature of the disorder
to the parents, to point out the kind of education suitable, and to recommend them to consult their
medical advisers and let us know their decision as to education. The children were treated as follows:
13 (4 boys, 9 girls) as invalids, temporary or permanent, 15 (5 boys and 10 girls) sent to blind schools to
be educated, wearing opaque shades during school time, 2 girls to special schools (one deaf and one
feeble-minded). Other 14 (4 boys and 10 girls) were sent to the ordinary elementary schools, but with
advice to the parents as to eye hygiene and a recommendation to the schools to excuse the child from
all fine eye work and reading, writing or drawing. Some teachers objected that this was impossible,
but that was merely because they took a very narrow view of a teacher's duties. It was noteworthy
that in very few of these cases had any surgical treatment been considered, although several were
suitable for operation. None of the 14 cases sent to the elementary schools were really suitable for
these schools, and the 15 sent to blind schools went against the parents' wish in most cases; at least
half of the 13 recorded as invalid might also have been in school had a school existed adapted to
such cases. At the same time, it is quite certain that school conditions are not the cause of this
variety of myopia. In at least 40 out of the 44 cases, if the parents refused the educational treatment
offered them, nothing further could have been done, as there are no proper educational facilities for
these children, and, it may be added, there are twenty times the number of other eye cases equally
in need of schools adapted to their conditions.