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101
Of the 102 cases referred in 1936
8 were found to-be suffering from wax in the ears only
with no disease present.
4 were referred for deafness—3 of these were referred
to the Ear Specialist at the Acton Hospital and removal of
the adenoids or tonsils and adenoids helped the condition,
another was only slightly deaf following a bad head cold and
improved on local treatment.
15 cases were referred for earache, where the condition
subsided on appropriate treatment and did not proceed to ear
discharge.
71 cases of otorrhoea or ear discharge were dealt with
during the year, and by the end of the year 61 of these had
been discharged as cured, a percentage of 85.9. Of the remaining
10 cases, 5 were no longer attending the Clinic but
were receiving treatment at various hospitals, either having
been sent there by us, or having gone there of their own accord,
and 3 cases were in hospital and had been for an extended period
for different diseases, i.e., eczema, lung trouble, &c. Of the
remaining 2 cases, one was absent from school at the end of the
year so the condition of the ear was not known, and one case
was nearly well.
4 cases left school during the year, still suffering from
otorrhoea. 2 of these were nearly well and were given advice
as to how to proceed, 2 were hopeless cases, no amount of
cajoling, scolding or threatening would make home treatment
even reasonably effective. Advice was given, repeatedly
given, to be ignored, and it is felt that these two children will
inevitably suffer from impaired hearing.
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The Ear Clinic has been run on slightly different lines this
past year. The ideal aimed at was the closer co-operation between
doctor and nurse in the supervision and treatment of these ear
cases. All cases therefore, were seen by the nurse three times a week
and by the doctor twice weekly. This ensured that at least once
a day on each school day the auditory meatus was made completely
clean, and how important that is can only be appreciated by one
who has had some experience of dealing with cases of otorrhoea.
We are convinced that the results have justified the work entailed.
Where it was thought that more frequent attention was necessary