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97
Formerly, the X-ray department was open on two days a week only,
but the hospital authorities have now appointed a wholetime Radiographer,
resulting in a further saving of time, as patients may now be X-rayed during
any session.
As stated in last year's report, artificial sunlight was being given a trial
for the first time. The hospital has a carbon arc-lamp installation and
we are able to refer patients for treatment. While most cases show
improvement, the results, on the whole, are not quite so remarkable as we
were led to expect, but nevertheless I think we are justified in continuing
the experiment. The treatment has been almost entirely limited to
notified cases of glandular enlargement in children, and as in the majority
of instances this entails daily attendance at the hospital, the numbers are
necessarily small, as it is often extremely difficult for the mothers to give up
so much of their time.
The success which has attended the treatment of children at the
open-air school is being fully recognized, and the L.C.C. are opening an
additional school in the East End of London. Stormont House School, on
Hackney Downs, is maintaining its popularity and is always full. The
children have done extremely well, and from an average roll of 87, 21 were
discharged as fit for work, while 6 were enabled to return to the ordinary
elementary school. It has been the custom for some years to send all the
children who wished it to the seaside for a fortnight during the summer.
This year, however, I was informed that this was not possible, so an appeal
was made to the L.C.C. to consider the question of sending a few of our
most necessitous cases. I am pleased to say the Council responded to this
appeal, and seven of the children were sent to the seaside, not for the
usual fortnight only, but for periods varying from two to four months. The
experiment was so successful that I am hopeful it will be repeated next
summer.
The various charitable organizations in the district continue to assist in
many ways. The Invalid Children's Aid Association in particular is most
helpful, and has sent quite a number of our debilitated children to
convalescent homes either at the seaside or in the country. The Charity
Organization and the United Services Fund have also assisted in supplying
surgical instruments, dentures, clothing, etc., and in the provision of
accommodation for children while their mothers are receiving treatment in
sanatorium.
The arrangement generally of institutional treatment, which is in the
hands of the L.C.C., has been a little easier during the year, 171 of our cases
being admitted to Hospital or Sanatorium. The period of waiting is shorter
and the number of cases which have failed to gain admittance is less. The
problem of the advanced case, however, is still with us. There is
insufficient accommodation for this class of patient, and the responsible
authorities do not appear seriously to consider him. Occasionally he may be
offered a bed in an institution some considerable distance from his home,
and as his state of health necessitates frequent visits from his family he
naturally refuses, but more frequently he is referred to the local Infirmary
which he again declines. The result is that the patient is left to die at
home, not before, however, he has probably infected other members of the
household with whom he has shared a bedroom or maybe a bed. I make no
apology for labouring the subject year by year, as only by persistent reference
to the question can one hope to obtain this most urgently needed
institution—a local home for advanced cases.
The provision of suitable work for patients on their return from
sanotorium is still one of our greatest problems. As mentioned in last year's
report the scheme introduced by the Ministry of Health in which the
employment exchanges were asked to facilitate the provision of suitable