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148
It will be remembered that, in 1926, there was a special effort made to cope with
deaf and partially deaf children in the hearing schools and an unprecedented number
was dealt with. Last year, this number was greatly reduced and it was suggested
that matters would return to the normal of between three and four hundred cases
per annum. That this is so, has been shown by 1928. There can be little doubt
that there is an increased efficiency in dealing with the deaf and partially deaf children
as regards their detention and armroDriate education.
Analysis of
causes of
deafness.

Some of the family trees of the cases of true hereditary deaf birth are of interest.
For instance, the following:—
Family history of deafness on both sides.
A good example of pure recessives breeding true. It is possible, however, that
one of the parents may be an impure recessive and that some of the offspring may
prove to be impure recessives also. The exact order of birth was not obtainable.
One deaf child is at Margate.
In another instance a male descendant from the marriage of normal first
cousins acquired deafness, and later married a deaf female; their four female children
were all born deaf, although there was an interval of 6½ years between the third and
fourth child. Probably the consanguineous marriage had no influence.
Sporadic Deaf Birth.—In at least 6 of the 21 cases of sporadic deaf birth there
were marked signs of intestinal intoxication, the investigation of which condition
in connection with deaf birth and otosclerosis will yield valuable information in
regard to the genesis of these cases of deaf birth.