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If consideration be given only to the proportion of cases for which apparatus
must at some time have been needed, it appears that approximately 65 per cent,
still wear apparatus and 34 per cent. have discarded it. As, however, many of the
cases are young, they will be relieved before the school-leaving age. This method
of ascertainment has one fallacy, which tends to exaggerate the numbers. After
a period of being able to get about without apparatus a child is deemed no longer
defective and is returned to the ordinary school or allowed to leave for work if over
14. In the year 1928, some 140 children who at one time had needed apparatus
were passed as no longer certifiable, and 90 were returned to the elementary schools,
which greatly raises the proportion of those who have derived very material benefits.
The proportion who can discard apparatus depends on the condition from
which they suffer, for example, over 40 per cent. of the children who had suffered
from tuberculosis of bones and joints seen in the P.D. schools had been able to
discard their apparatus, and most would be allowed so to do after a further
interval; but of the sufferers from infantile paralysis, many of whom have "flail"
limbs, only 19 per cent. were able to give up apparatus; most of the remainder
would find it advisable to wear apparatus throughout their lives for the sake of
stability.

Swimming
for P.D.
children.
Dr. Duncan reports on the effects of swimming lessons which have been given
out of school hours to certain physically defective girls at the Frogmore P.D. school.
The experiment was made possible by the kindness of Miss Wytelaw, the honorary
secretary of the Care Committee of the school, who has taken the girls to the
swimming baths, accompanied them in the water on every occasion, encouraged
their confidence and taught many of them to swim despite their disabilities.
In all there were in the class, 21 girls, of whom 14 suffered from infantile paralysis
of one or both lower limbs, 5 from arrested tuberculosis of bones or joints, 1 from
rickets and scoliosis, and 1 from right hemiplegia. Considerable progress was
made in the case of all but the last, the hemiplegic case, who was taken as an
experiment for several occasions, but it was found that her limbs became more
rigid in the water, and that the rigidity lasted for some little time after coming out
of the bath. It was apparent in the case of infantile paralysis that the muscular
impairment was no barrier to learning to swim. The children were delighted to
find that with the support given by the water they could move more freely and easily
than on land. The initial nervousness was got over at least as quickly as with
normal children of the same class. In four cases the improvement in the muscular