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applies to the mothers chiefly; in the case of children, effort is made to
ensure that further treatment will not be necessary until the child comes
under the care of the school dentist.
We find that some patients in an advanced stage of pregnancy are
being sent up for dental treatment. Where the mouth is in a very septic
condition, or where the patient is actually having pain, we attempt to
clear things up more or less temporarily. In the majority of these cases,
however, we find a rooted objection on the patients' part to having treatment
carried out then. In those cases a note is made on the chart and
the patient is sent for later.
Although there seems to be no medical objection to the immediate
treatment of these cases, it is difficult to convince the patient of the
advantages of a clean mouth both for her health and that of the child,
and in consequence we have to wait until after the birth of the child
before we can render the mother's mouth healthy.
We are now making full use of our new continuous nasal gas outfit
for extraction work. This has proved most useful, and is a great improvement
on old methods.
Our equipment and premises are all that could be desired from the
point of view of quick and efficient work, and I have to thank the staff
for their help in the running of the clinic.
C. HAMMOND WILLIAMS,
L.D.S., R.C.S. (Eng.).
The Royal College of St. Katharine.
Report of the Senior Medical Officer.
The treatment of otorrhoea in young children is a problem which
must often perplex those engaged in Infant Welfare Work. The known
tendency of the disease sometimes to heal quickly and spontaneously
is a reason why many parents do not seek treatment early; and the very
persistence of the discharge, despite treatment, is a reason, on the other
hand, for their tending to discontinue attendance at hospital. One can
hardly blame them when one remembers the time and expense which
it involves. The fact remains that in children under five, cases of otitis
media are often seen which have continued, with or without intermission,
for months or years. This is another way of saying that it is a most