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52
during 1925 an orthopædic clinic at the Hospital, under the charge
of an orthopedic specialist, Mr. A. Todd. Croydon patients
referred by private practitioners, or through the Public Health
Department, are seen and advised at the clinic. The cases referred
through the Public Health Department consist of (a) children
under 5, under the maternity and child welfare scheme, (b) children
of school age, under the school medical arrangements, (c) tuberculous
cripples of any age, under the tuberculosis scheme. A fixed
charge of l/6d. per attendance is made to the Corporation in respect
of any patients thus referred.
Treatment is provided as follows : —
(a) Massage and Remedial Exercises.—Either at the
mittee's massage clinic, or in certain cases at the massage
clinic established at the Croydon General Hospital;
(b) Electrical.—At the Hospital clinic.
(c) Inpatient treatment.—By admission to the St. Nicholas
and St. Martin Orthopaedic Hospital, Surrey.
During the five months in which the scheme was in operation,
18 patients were seen under the maternity and child welfare
scheme, 79 under the school medical, and 22 under the tuberculosis
scheme; and these made a total of 694 attendances.
The scheme, which is still in process of development, will
fulfil a very valuable function in the early diagnosis of the causes
of crippling at a stage allowing of cure of the deformity, while it
will lead to the more general adoption of measures tending towards
the eradication of factors which produce physical deformities.