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64
Ultra Violet Therapy.
Light treatment is carried out at the Becontree and at the
Dagenham Clinics, two sessions being held weekly. The cases
treated are referred from the Infant Welfare Centres and all
children are seen by the Medical Officer everv fortnight. A few
children of school age are referred by the School Medical Officer,
a charge being made to the Essex Education Committee for each
treatment.
A course of treatment commences with a two minutes exposuir
back and front working up to a 6 minutes double exposure, being 12
exposures in all. Many cases are put down for another course of
treatment after an interval of four to six weeks. The Clinics
closed down from May to September.
175 children commenced treatment, of whom 90 completed
the course. The total number of individual exposures was 1,736.
Of those who commenced but did not complete the course of treatment,
a large number were removed from the list on account of
laxity in attendance. Such a step was necessary to prevent a long
waiting list. After two failures to attend, the parent is visited
and if the absence was apparently not justifiable, no further
appointment is given. In a number of cases the partial treatment
was due to a postponement on account of illness.
Two-thirds of the cases referred for treatment were on account
of rickets, most of these children being in their second year. It
is exceptional, in this condition, that an improvement is not
recorded, less than 10 per cent, failing to show any. This improvement
is not necessarily associated with any gain in weight, but is
shown by the increased muscle tone and in the generally improved
condition, mental and physical, frequently remarked upon by the
mothers. In practically all these cases which received treatment,
the children were also on Cod Liver Oil in one form or another.
They would, however, have been in the habit of taking this before
being referred for treatment, so that any improvement noted after
a course of exposures would presumably be attributable to the
light treatment.
One-quarter of the cases treated were on account of malnutri
tion. These children too would be having Cod Liver Oil or some
other preparation. The proportion of failures to show an improve
ment was much greater in this type of case, amounting to over onethird.
This was more marked in the case of children over two.
In those below this age, an improvement was recorded in most.
A few cases were treated as being subjects of recurrent attacks
of bronchitis. No improvement was noted in any of these cases
To be of any avail in this type, it woidd presumably be necessary
to carry out treatment over a prolonged period. A number
children convalescent from whooping cough were also treated.