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(xi) Sunlight Clinic.
Artificial sunlight treatment is now provided in a
clinic on the ground floor of the old Maternity Home,
315, Broadway, Bexleyheath. It is available for children
under the age of five and for nursing and expectant
mothers. School children are treated when referred by
the School Medical Officer, and a charge for treatment
is paid by the Education Authority.
A duotherapy ultra violet lamp is used and a Health
Visitor with special training is in charge of the treatment
under a Medical Officer. The clinic is at present
open on two mornings in the week. Sundry ailments
have been treated with benefit such as early rickets,
general debility, and sub-acute rheumatism.
Number of cases treated 41
Number of treatments 232
Number still being treated at end of year 28
Average number of treatments per patient 8
Diseases treated.
No.
Rickets
Rheumatism
General Debility
Bronchitis
8
20
10
3
(xii) Ear and Eye Defects.
Many children with chronic discharging ears have
been seen at the centres and have been referred to their
own doctors for treatment, but a large proportion were
either not taken or soon ceased attending even when
referred to hospital. In the latter case the travelling
costs for repeated attendances were probably the deterrent.
As the school authority provide a nurse with
special experience in ear cases, who works under a consulting
ear specialist, advantage has now been taken of
this facility, and in necessitous cases the child with a
discharging ear is referred to the clinic provided.
Where children with eye defects such as squint are
seen at the clinics, they are now referred to the School
Ophthalmic Officer for diagnosis and treatment. The
advantage of this scheme is that the child when reaching
school age will have a continuity of treatment through
the same specialist eye doctor.
42