View report page

60
the ear. These children may have attack after attack of ear discharge
until they come to treat the ear discharge almost with indifference,
although each attack means added risk of impaired hearing-
The other type of case is the chronic ear discharge where all
the treatment of the case is left to the Clinic. The parent is urged
to co-operate, shown how to do so, but apathy and indifference
win the day and no effort is made. Such cases are the despair of
any Clinic, but fortunately in Acton they are few.
Last year at the Clinic, the total number of cases referred
for examination was 127, but not all of these were found to be
suffering from ear disease.
35 children were referred complaining of deafness, and investigation
provided the following figures:—
28 were suffering from wax in their ears and were
cured on its removal.
4 were deaf after bad head colds and got better on
suitable treatment as their colds improved.
2 were due to abnormalities in the formation of their
ears, one had thickened ear drums and the other a
congenitally narrowed meatus.
1 showed no obvious cause for deafness and was
ferred to an ear specialist.
30 Children came to the Ear Clinic complaining of earache,
a complaint which, curiously enough, analysis showed to be in the
main due to things other than ear inflammation.
12 only had genuine earache and all subsided on appropriate
treatment without developing otorrhoea.
C complained of earache but the pain was from decayed
back teeth.
8 were getting pain from impacted plugs of wax,
2 had mumps,
1 had furunculosis of the external auditory meatus and,
1 showed nothing to substantiate the claim to earache.
34 cases of otorrhoea have been treated and cured during
1935.