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Points of Interest.
Successful treatment of pyloric stenosis by medical measures was
continued this year. In this disease the nervous control of the stomach is
defective and the child becomes gravely ill from vomiting of a severe
type and dies unless relieved by medical or surgical treatment. Until
recently all treatment of any value has been surgical. The use of the
drug atropine methyl nitrate has enabled one now to dispense with the
knife. Welfare centres are ideal places for the application of the new
remedy, because there cases can be seen early and treated promptly,
matters of much importance. All our little patients did remarkably well.
We were much helped by the many virtues of the mothers, who were
punctual, regular and enthusiastic in applying the remedy and also in
feeding and tending the baby, proud of being pioneers, I think.
The popularity of the wards continues, I am thankful to say, to be
high. There are always more children awaiting admission than we can
deal with. Indeed we could easily fill a third ward. We regret the death
of one child which occurred quite unexpectedly from convulsions not
long after admission. A child was transferred to hospital who developed
whooping cough. He was isolated in good time and no one else caught it.
We look back upon the last as a year of successful results and good
progress.
H. ST. H. VERTUE, M.D.