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history of any one child being rapidly brought before the officer
investigating the case, and you will see it is an easy matter for a
child to attend longer than it should have to attend, and that it
is a difficult matter in the time available to prevent them from so
continuing to attend.
External Eye Disease.—It will have been noted that external
eye disease is to some extent associated with indifferent home
circumstances, and I have noted with pleasure the general improvement
taking place in the last few years in the home conditions of
the little patients who constitute the group of children that come
up for diseases of the external eye. This is fortunately reflected
in the fact that it has been noted now for the past year or so that,
with the exception of a very small number of intractable cases,
these conditions have proved themselves more amenable to the
simple treatments carried out at the Minor Ailment Clinic than
hitherto.
It has never been necessary to refer any large number of these
cases whatsoever to hospitals for special treatment. This means a
considerable saving in money and time to the parents, and of course
a similar improvement in the efficiency of school life.
Vision.—The treatment of defective vision is carried out on
Saturday mornings at the East Street Clinic. The pupils of the
children's eyes are dilated, and refraction is carried out. It is
only when children's eyes are so dilated that refraction can be
carried out properly, and although this does mean that for a few
days the children themselves cannot see so well as usual, and this
interferes with their school work, it is an interference no one yet
has found a means of mitigating.
We had hoped during the present year to be able to carry
out on Saturday mornings also a certain number of special appointments
of children referred to the clinic from routine inspection,
and otherwise in whom complete examination could not be carried
out at school. This attempt, however, seriously interfered with
the eye work, which is somewhat behind. I regret these special
appointments will have to be curtailed.