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Light treatment has been found invaluable in cases of surgical
tuberculosis following treatment in sanatorium. 23 cases of nonpulmonary
tuberculosis completed treatment during the year
with good results in all but one case.
Of 74 cases of bronchitis who completed treatment during
he year 53 showed marked improvement. Especially noticeable
was the relief which the majority of cases of the "asthmatic"
type got from the dyspnoeic attacks.
As in previous years the numbers of infants and school
children treated for nutritional disorders and debility following
acute illness, and the numbers of adults treated for chronic
rheumatic conditions formed the two largest groups of the total
number of patients undergoing treatment.
In the first group the most marked benefit from treatment
was noticed in children suffering from debility following acute
illness. Under "Malnutrition, Anaemia, Rickets, Marasmus"
the majority of infants treated were referred from the Maternity
and Child Welfare Centres, and from the Tuberculosis Dispensary
and school in the case of older children. In these cases treatment
provides a powerful stimulant to the metabolism, increasing
the vital body functions and causing increase of appetite and
muscular tone. The majority of children showed marked improvement
in general condtion and increased weight.
It must be born in mind that ultra-violet light therapy is but
part of the treatment of cases of nutrition disturbances, and that
other causal factors have to be remedied. In the case of infants
these are fully investigated at the Maternity and Child Welfare
Centres, whilst it is noted that most of the children referred from
school for treatment have milk at school.
A small proportion of children showed a little or no improvement
following treatment. In many cases faulty nutrition at
early, probably pre-natal, age results in a frail body framework,
and later efforts to form a robust constitution end in failure.
Good results were noted in the ante-natal cases treated
during the year. These were later reflected in the health of the
child at birth.