Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barnet]
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Mr. Gardiner or an ophthalmologist working under his supervision, although, of course,
general practitioners are free to send a child elsewhere if they or the parents wish it.
Where a diagnosis is doubtful the orthoptist uses her judgment.
The results to date are encouraging and I will report further on these clinics when
they have been in operation for 12 months.
Audiometry
Two Audiometer Operators carry out three routine hearing tests during the school
life of those children in the Borough attending the Authority's schools and also test, as
special cases, those children suspected of having a hearing loss.
It was unfortunate, however, that, due to the ill-health and subsequent resignation
of one of the operators, for nearly half the year the work of testing fell to one operator,
and as a consequence, the full number of routine tests required could not be carried out.
The following table shows the number of pupils whose hearing was tested:-
| Sweep tests | 8,251 |
| Re-tests | 618 |
| Special tests | 1,181 |
| Re-tests | 316 |
Audiology
Those children requiring further investigation for a loss of hearing are referred to
the Consultant Otologist, at one of the audiology units established in the London
Borough of Haringey and the London Borough of Barnet.
Peripatetic teachers of the deaf attached to these units already provide a service
for the children in the care of the units, but a number of children in the Borough in the
care of various London hospitals were not receiving a service and a peripatetic teache
of the deaf was appointed by the Authority in September to supervise the training of
these children and the training of children in ordinary schools with some significant
hearing loss.
The peripatetic teacher reports:-
"There are in excess of 2,000 school children in Barnet at any one time with
a significant hearing loss who are not receiving any special educational help.
Although many of these children will not require individual help, their teachers
should be notified so that they will be alerted to possible symptoms (particularly
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