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72
The 74 new cases comprised:—
6 children under 5 years of age.
55 between 5 and 15 years and 13 others over 15 years.
These patients were further classified as follow:—
Tuberculous Adenitis 10
Tubercular Abdomen 6
Hilus Tuberculosis 17
Pretubercular and Malnutrition 33
Other 8
Many more would have been sent had accommodation been
available, but the Clinic having been established by the Maternity
and Child Welfare Committee, such patients naturally had prior
claim. It was not found possible to send adult cases, except in
one or two instances, when women were sent.
152 patients received 2,888 treatments, an average of nearly
19 per patient. The shortest completed course comprised 11
treatments, and the longest 33, these cases being Asthma and
Hilus Tuberculosis respectively.
Attendances were well maintained, except during the school
holidays and the hopping season. At other times absentees were
looked after by the Nurses. A few cases did not complete treatment,
the alleged reason usually being that "the child caught cold
after treatment," the real reason, the fact that the parent was
unable or unwilling to spend the necessary time in bringing
the child to and from the Clinic.
As regards the actual treatment no change has been made
from the procedure adopted and outlined in 1925. Each patient
is examined medically at the Dispensary before commencing the
course and periodically during the treatment. Owing to lack of
accommodation and other circumstances it had not been found
possible to carry out Blood Tests as anticipated. Blood pressure
was estimated in some of the older children, but as the results
did not give much information this practice has been discontinued.
In 7 patients, a second course of treatment was given with
marked benefit, and there is reason to believe that short repeated
courses, as far as children are concerned, would be more beneficial
than long continuous ones, which are apt to prove tiring
to both children and parents.
As regards skin reactions no attempt has been made to obtain
pigmentation; rather to delay such manifestation as long as
possible, but when it did appear it was taken as an indication
for terminating the treatment.