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73
Guy's
hospital.
The divisional treatment organiser, has had assistants working in five departments of
Guy's hospital—aural, eye, orthopaedic, skin and the diphtheria carrier clinic. The school care
committees have been supplied with up-to-date reports on children attending in these departments,
and information from the care committees has been passed on to the surgeon, where
necessary. In addition, the almoner has very kindly obtained reports from other departments
for the care committees and divisional officers and has passed through a great deal of information
which the physicians wished the school authorities to have.
In the aural department 1,407 new children were seen during the year ; 721 were discharged
cured, 4 left London, 28 left school and 30 were reported well by the care committees. There
were 97 operations for the removal of tonsils and adenoids in the out-patient department, and
the children were taken home in an ambulance provided by the Council after the operation.
During the year 1,323 new children attended the eye department; 1,103 were tested for
glasses, and of this number 772 had glasses prescribed and 141 were found not to require glasses.
In regard to the other 190, no change in glasses was necessary. During the year 732 pairs of
glasses were obtained but some of these were prescribed in 1932.
In the orthopaedic department 189 new children were seen, of whom 14 were found not to
require treatment; 29 children were discharged cured, 43 left school, 5 left London and 6 were
referred elsewhere for treatment. A number of children were referred to the massage department
for treatment, and the organiser checks their attendances each week and reports to the care
committees if they do not attend regularly. Seventeen children had minor operations performed
in the out-patient department, and there are 574 children attending periodically for supervision.
During the year 666 new children attended the skin department, 25 of whom were suffering
from ringworm of the head and 71 from scabies.
There were 129 new cases in the diphtheria carrier clinic during the year, with a total of
422 attendances.
The majority of children attending in the aural, eye and skin departments were treated
at home, but where the results were not satisfactory, arrangements were made for them to have
the necessary treatment carried out daily at the school treatment centres.
The numbers of children referred to the school medical officer for special examination were
as follows :—Schools for the physically defective, 24 ; myope class, 1 ; hard-of-hearing school, 3 ;
White Oak hospital, Swanley, 6 ; school for the mentally defective, 1 ; " easy treatment" for
vision, 3 ; while 11 children were recommended for re-examination with a view to their transfer
from schools for the physically defective to elementary schools.
Miller
hospital.
The children s department of the Miller hospital is on two afternoons a week. There are
two doctors working, and owing to the fact that the sessions are not held in the ordinary out-
patient department, but in an old house, it is necessary for two organisers to attend, as the doctors'
rooms are on different floors.
All children up to 12 years of age are eligible to attend the department. About 500 Council
school children attended as new cases during the year April, 1932—April, 1933. Of these, 47 were
children with rheumatism, 44 had enuresis, 11 asthma and 10 fits. The remainder were chiefly
suffering from debility and bronchitis and internal complaints. In addition, a number of children
under school age and a fair number of Kent school children attend the department.
The organisers sit in the same room as the doctors, and as the doctors are very willing to
co-operate with the school organisation in every way, they are able to do much useful work.
During the year 24 school reports and five home reports were obtained through the care
committees at the doctors' request. Twenty-one children have been referred to schools for the
physically defective or open-air schools, and 39 minor recommendations for alteration in the
school curriculum have been sent to the divisional medical officers. School meals have been
recommended in three cases and milk in school in several others.
Children found to require dental treatment are frequently referred to the school treatment
centres, also those having scabies or dirty heads are referred for treatment under the cleansing
scheme.
There is a large number of rheumatism cases attending the department, and a special
rheumatism clinic is held after the ordinary session for these. All new cases attend at 1.30 p.m.
but if diagnosed as rheumatism, are told to attend in future at 4.30 p.m. on Mondays. There
are at present 198 children attending this clinic, which is to some extent supervisory in character,
as all cases, even when well, are supposed to attend every two or three months to see the doctor.
Twenty-one children were referred to the Council's special hospitals for treatment for rheumatism,
but these cases are dealt with by the almoner. All convalescent treatment is also arranged by her.
The parents, are on the whole, very regular in bringing their children to the hospital, but
owing to the large number in attendance, there is a considerable amount of work to be done in
seeing that cases really requiring treatment do not lapse. It is not possible to send for all the
minor cases, but in all cases where children with anything at all serious the matter fail to return
to the hospital, a post card is sent to the parents asking them to bring them back. Should they
not return after that, the care committee is written to and asked to arrange for the children to
re-attend the hospital. Where the organiser is in doubt as to whether it is necessary for the
children to re-attend the doctors are always willing to be consulted.
The doctors at the hospital have stated that they find it of great benefit having organisers
working in the department, and there is no doubt that valuable information has been given to
the divisional medical officers, care committees and head teachers.