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32
It should be noted regarding the nominations by the Invalid Children's Aid
Association that in addition to the figures shown above many of the cases notified
by the voluntary hospitals are also notified by the Association, and other cases which
have become more urgently in need of hospital treatment are re-notified by them. It
would be unsafe to accept the nominations received during 1930 as representing the
number of school children in London who need prolonged residential treatment
for rheumatism. It is well known to the nominating agencies that the scheme has
not unlimited beds at its disposal and they have, therefore, hesitated to send in the
names of children except where real urgency occurred. The nominations were
distributed as follows:
Seasonal
incidence.
January 59
February 61
March 56
April 45
May 47
June 50
July 66
August 31
September 42
October 56
November 70
December 56
639
This distribution indicates the demand for beds throughout the year. The fall
in the number of nominations during August and September is to some extent
explained by the school holidays and by the cessation of the work of the rheumatism
supervisory centres, but it is also due to the smaller amount of rheumatism which is
present in the community during this season of the year.
Of the 639 children nominated, 324 were admitted to hospital, either at Queen
Mary's Hospital, Carshalton, or High Wood Hospital, Brentwood. There were
comprised in this number 114 boys and 210 girls.
Ages of
children
admitted to
hospital.

Rheumatic
nodules.
Rheumatic nodules were present in 5 children (3 boys and 2 girls) admitted to
hospital. Two were cases of chorea, one was rheumatic fever and the other two
sub-acute rheumatism. In four of these children the heart was affected.