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During 1923 the Medical Mission referred 21 patients, and
local medical practitioners 23 for treatment; and 25 cases were
treated under Approved Societies' scale of fees.
The Wednesday evening session proved so successful that it
was found necessary to devote another evening to cope with the
work, so a Tuesday evening session was started on
September 18th. During the year, 655 visits were made for
treatment during these evening sessions.
The number of maternity and tuberculosis cases referred for
assessment of fees was 75. The total amount being £249 18s.,
which figure was reduced to £109 2s. 3d.
It is considered important to direct attention to the very
limited scope in the matter of time allowed for dental treatment
under the Maternity and Child Welfare Act. This Act only
benefits the mother during the periods of pregnancy and nursing,
periods which are the least desirable for dental treatment. In
view of the national necessity a healthy mouth is to the mother,
the scope of this Act needs to be extended to include benefit to
the potential mother, even if legislative measures are necessary.
During the year an examination was made into the
bacteriology of pyorrhoea. Tubes of nutrient broth and blood
agar were inoculated with the organism obtained from the root
apices of teeth, freshly extracted under conditions to prevent
contamination; and by swabs of the blood from the tooth
sockets after extraction. Different strains of streptococci have
been classified according to their behaviour on various media in
the laboratory, but for the purpose of this investigation streptococci
were classified according to the length of chain formation,
especially as the S. brevis is considered by some authorities as
non-pathogenic and a normal inhabitant. The short chain form
usually present itself as an ovoid coccus, while the individual,
organism of the S. longus type may be round or bacillary in
shape; and the colonies may hæmolyse blood-agar or cause the
formation of methæmoglobin. It may be possible on these lines
to make a clinical distinction, but the matter needs more experimental
elucidation.