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London is a great centre for medical education and there are many voluntary
hospitals, which maintain orthopsedic departments, engaged in the teaching of
medical students. These are all eager to undertake the orthopsedic care of children.
There are also special voluntary orthopaedic hospitals at which orthopaedic surgeons
of the highest repute hold appointments. At some of these hospitals the Council's
organisers of children's care work attend in the orthopsedic departments as liaison
officers.
The Woolwich area stands in a category by itself owing to the lack of local
orthopsedic out-patient provision, and the distance parents must travel with their
crippled children for advice. In this area the Council subsidises the remedial clinic
which is provided by the Invalid Children's Aid Association. The number of children
treated at this centre in 1936 was 221.
The three main causes of crippling in London are tuberculosis, infantile paralysis
and congenital malformation. The first two conditions are notifiable, and schemes
are in operation on the general public health side of the Council's activities for dealing
with children under both these headings. A special unit for the treatment of congenital
malformation has been established at Queen Mary's hospital, Carshalton.
The principal causes of crippling operate before school life begins, at which
period of their lives the children in London are under the care of the public health
departments of the Borough Councils, on behalf of whom the Council provides
institutional treatment whenever required.
Stammering children
At the ten centres for the treatment of stammerers from elementary schools a
total of 413 children attended during the year; of these, 148 were discharged as
cured, while 49, many of whom had greatly improved, left for various reasons.
The arrangements are on the following lines: (i) each child attends twice
weekly for periods of 50 minutes each ; (ii) each group of children is limited to 9; and
(iii) three groups are dealt with by the same speech therapist on each half day.
The two centres for secondary school pupils at the Henry Thornton school
(south London) and the North-Western polytechnic (north London) were continued,
53 pupils attended, of whom 10 were discharged cured and 7 left.
At Salter's Hill school 48 children from the residential schools of the Council
attended a special centre. Of these 17 were cured and 9 left.
Dr. E. J. Boome communicated with 66 former pupils who attended stammering
classes and had left school for five years and upwards. Thirty-one replies were
received, which are summarised below :—
In regular employment 29
Not in employment 1
Still studying 1
No speech difficulty 13
Slight speech difficulty 15
Severe speech difficulty 3
Most of the replies received express the gratitude and appreciation of the
writers for the efforts made on their behalf by the speech therapists and teachers.
That these efforts have been rewarded may be judged by the progress made by the
pupils. Nearly all are in regular employment. One pupil is now a general grade
clerk in the Council's service, another is a qualified architect.
Rheumatism scheme
During 1936 the rheumatism scheme remained under the supervision of
Dr. C. E. Thornton. The number of children nominated for institutional
treatment showed an increase of 383 over the number of such applications
received during 1935. The actual number of nominations received was 2,397