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which cannot be adequately controlled at home, and who are of such intelligence as
to profit by their stay are admitted. The principles of the control of the disease and the
importance of dietary are taught, and the children are trained to make their own insulin
injections and to guard against the accidents of a diabetic life. A visiting medical officer
provides the day to day care, and a consultant visits regularly. Laboratory work, to
ensure control, is undertaken by a technician under the direction of the consultant.
The nature of the hostel is such that a wide variety of children of several age groups
may be in residence. The children attend nearby schools, except for a few who, already
attending grammar schools, continue to travel to the same school. Those children
attending the infant school return to the hostel for their midday meal, the others have
part school meal and part food taken with them from the hostel. While many of the
children go home for the school holiday periods, a few must remain for various reasons
and these are given a change of air elsewhere.
Since January, 1951, a central register of epileptic schoolchildren has been kept at the
County Hall and all school doctors have been asked to notify any children suffering
from epilepsy ; if any of these children are considered to be in need of special educational
treatment they are examined at the County Hall. The consultants at hospitals have
been most helpful in carrying out special investigations on any cases referred to them.
Since January, 1954, 130 names have been added to the register. Of these, 89 were in
ordinary schools, 25 in day special schools, 11 in boarding special schools, including 5
placed at epileptic colonies, and 6 were found to be ineducable. This probably does
not represent all the epileptic children of school age in London, as there may be some
in ordinary schools who have yet to be notified.
Enuresis
At the Westminster Hospital (All Saints Urological Centre) the number of new applications
for enuretic school pupils has been decreasing for some time, owing to the provision
of other facilities elsewhere, and in consequence the number of sessions for school
pupils was reduced from three to two a week from January, 1954. The number of new
cases seen throughout the year fluctuated from 110 in the first quarter to 80 in the third
quarter, rising again to 108 in the last quarter. The waiting period has averaged one
month and has not risen above two months throughout the year. There was a total
attendance of 1,759 and 137 children were discharged as cured. A number of former
pupils who failed to re-attend were, necessarily, removed from the current file, which,
• at the end of the year, totalled 314.
Enuresis is now dealt with at a number of other hospitals in London, and, in addition,
is among the conditions dealt with at the Council's own special investigation clinics.
Juvenile rheumatism
The number of children with acute rheumatism referred through the Council's rheumatism
scheme for admission to Queen Mary's Hospital for Children, Carshalton, has
shown a slight fall during the past three years, thus bearing out the trend that has been
noticeable for some time past throughout the whole country, and indicating that acute
rheumatism is becoming progressively less prevalent.
1951 1952 1953 1954
Nominations received 185 219 178 151
Outstanding from previous year 4 4 4 —
189 223 182 151
Admitted to rheumatism unit 177 216 179 146
Nominations withdrawn 4 2 3 1
Not suitable for unit 4 1 — 2
Awaiting admission on 31st December 4 4 — 2
189 223 182 151
113
H*
Epileptic