View report page

cases of rickets were noted, and in two patients, referred for
"fits," one patient appeared to be suffering from petit mal, and
one from the result of a previous injury. In one infant a congenital
dislocation of the hip was diagnosed, and treatment
arranged at an orthopaedic department. A considerable number
of patients were seen in whom definite postural defects, in some
cases amounting to deformity, were defined, and one or two
cases of muscular paralysis were discovered. Four children
were found to have chronic bronchitis, and five were suspected of
tuberculosis. In one case glandular fever was diagnosed. A
considerable number of children were found to be suffering from
nasopharyngeal catarrh and from enlarged tonsils and adenoids,
and about 16 per cent. were undernourished.
FOOT CLINIC.
Three whole-time chiropodists, two ladies and a gentleman
are employed in the two clinics and during most of the year two
part-time chiropodists have also been employed. Even with this
additional help patients have to wait considerable periods for an
appointment. Details of the attendances at the foot clinics are
given in the following table:—
Clinic
Men
Women
Total
Bermondsey
2,280
5,856
8,136
Rotherhithe
5,587
1,563
4,024
3,843
Totals
9,880
13,723
The total number of patients treated during the year is 13,723.
Each of these patients comes by appointment and no patient is
treated who should properly be under the care of a doctor, nor is
any patient allowed to attend more frequently than is necessary
for proper treatment. In spite of this organisation it appears to
me that the chiropodists are overworked, and in view of the fact
that the total number of treatments this year shows an increase of
1,000 over last year's figures, I think it will be necessary before
long to appoint one of the part-time assistants as a whole-time
chiropodist. The popularity of these clinics is astonishing and
the pressure under which the chiropodists' work is rendered less
obvious than it would otherwise be by reason of the machine like
operation of the appointment system. In one or two cases
Miss Cook has visited old and crippled patients at home in
order to give treatment which otherwise could not have been
obtained, but these cases have been very few in number.