View report page

42
Looking at the above table it will be seen that the male predominates. Of 455 consecutive
cases 182 had no stammer in the family. With regard to the nearer relationships in columns
(3) and (4), only 101 out of 455 cases occurred, and this confirms the opinion that stammering is
not usually directly inherited. Columns (7), (8), (9) and (10) are much more in agreement with
the view that the child inherits peculiar neuropathic tendencies which predispose him to
stammering, rather than that the actual stammer is inherited. Columns (3), (4), (5) and (6),
(174 cases) are rather against the view of Firshaw, who asserts positively that imitation and
not heredity is the essential factor, but as Catherine Osborne says, "if imitation were as baneful
as it is said to be, the whole community would long ago have lapsed into hopeless stammering."
Co-operation
of head
teachers.
Where home circumstances are difficult, head teachers have been arranging for the children
to do their relaxation practice in their own rooms at the schools. Another interesting feature
is that some of the children of highly strung parents have been able to inculcate the principles of
relaxation sufficiently for their parents to benefit considerably.
Some of the candidates for Council scholarships, who were unable to attend the day centres,
were advised to attend the evening institutes and were medically inspected periodically at the
County Hall. One scholar wrote, "I could not continue to attend at Page's Walk institute,
because I had to attend book-keeping classes, but I have been carrying out the instructress'
directions and advice and I am confident that I shall soon be completely cured. Let me say
how thankful I am to you for telling me about Page's Walk and for your interest in me."
There has been a large number of applications by students to avail themselves of the
opportunities offered by the Council for experience in the treatment of stammerers. It has therefore
become necessary to regulate their attendances and to charge a small fee for the privilege
of attending.
Statistics.

Dr. Banks Raffle reports that at the end of 1933 the rheumatism section had
records of 3,810 children who had been treated in hospital under the rheumatism
scheme, and of 1,857 children who had been treated either by the guardians, or in
the Council's general hospitals, transferred to the special hospitals, and passed to
the section for supervision on discharge. Of these 5,667 children, 1,258 were
followed up in the schools during the year, whilst 1,060 were still in attendance at
the rheumatism supervisory centres. In appreciating the amount of hospital provision
for the 3,810 children treated under the scheme, it should be noted that 400
of them returned for further treatment on one or more occasions.
The number of nominations for residential treatment under the scheme during
1933 again showed a great advance on that of the previous year. In 1932, 1,234
children were recommended to the scheme for treatment, compared with 1,845 in
1933. The monthly number of nominations showed very little variation from that
of previous years. The hot, dry summer brought little relief to the rheumatic child,
210 nominations being received during the month of July, which was a higher
figure than for any month in the year except March, while the number of
recommendations received in the months of May, June and July, respectively, was
higher than that for December.