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recent origin are discharged after a few months of treatment
free from pain and with full movement in the joint. Some
remain well and others return from time to time for a further
course of treatment. The long-standing cases are more obstinate;
even in these cases pain is usually much relieved although
the range of joint movement remains much the same. This
type of case is usually treated by general ultra violet light together
with focal infra red radiation, diathermy and massage. Included
in this class are some of those hospital derelicts who have suffered
prolonged periods of disablement following injury or accident.
Persistent treatment in some of these cases has effected remarkable
results. The largest single class amongst the child patients
includes those variously labelled debility, malnutrition or anaemia.
Light treatment will not take the place of a defective diet, neither
will it counteract the evil effects of overcrowding or of bad housing
conditions. It does, however, act as a very valuable tonic in
these cases, and when combined with remedial exercises under
the direction of a nurse, the beneficial effect of such a course of
treatment is apparent. A large number of children suffering from
bronchitis, sometimes following an attack of measles or of whooping
cough, have been sent to the Solarium for treatment. These
children are usually under five and many of them are less than
two years old. The bronchitis oftens begins when the child is a
few months old and recurs frequently especially during teething.
These children are given general ultra violet light daily for a
month, and the number of treatments is continued or reduced
according to the results obtained. The period of treatment is
usually from two to four months. In a large proportion of these
cases the attacks have ceased completely after six to eight weeks
treatment, and in the remaining cases the severity and frequency
of the attacks have been much reduced. Amongst the children
there have been also quite a number of cases of more or less
manifest rickets, and included with these should be mentioned
also children suffering from scoliosis, postural defects, genu
valgum and genu varum. The administration of light treatment
combined with physical exercises and massage has been of great
assistance in all these cases.