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48
Treatment.
The only provision for treatment of these children, made up
to the present, is for operative removal of tonsils and adenoids.
Where the family income falls below the scale approved by
the Ministry of Health the Local Authority pays the necessary
fee for the operation at Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford.
In view of the crowded conditions existing at some of the
houses, it is hoped to come to an arrangement by which, where
the home circumstances are not suitable, the patient can remain
in hospital on the night following the operation.
Foster-children.
There were 42 additions to the register of Foster-children
in the district, and 35 erasures of children reaching the age of
7 or removing from the district.
These children are visited by the Infant Protection Visitor
appointed by the Board of Guardians who is successful in moist
cases in getting the children to attend regularly at the Infant
Centres.
Ante-natal Work.
In the earlier part of the year, an ante-natal clinic was held
fortnightly in the Dagenham area. This was well patronised
and in November the clinic was opened weekly. That this was
justified was soon shown by the average attendance for the
weekly session equalling that obtaining when it was held fortnightly.
In November a fortnightly clinic was opened in Becontree.
In the latter part of the year there was for the whole district
an average weekly attendance of 6 new Cases, representing
roughly about 25% of the number of births.
In addition to the steady increase in numbers at the Antenatal
clinics it is gratifying to find that some women are now
attending for post-natal examination. This is a field in which
much work can be done in avoiding chronic invalidity, though
it does not produce spectacular changes in death rates.
Of the women attending the Ante-natal clinics, over 50%
were in urgent need of dental treatment. Septic mouths act as
possible foci of infection for puerperal sepsis and also interfere
greatly with the mother's capacity to nurse her baby. I hese
figures then show the need for provision of dental treatment.
The difficulty arises through there being no premises suitable