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The general plan is to study intensively, over a period
of at least two years, a group of children with discharging
ears. Regular Specialist treatment of the aural
condition will be given, and the prognosis correlated with
the medical histories, general physical conditions and
home environments of the children. Accurate tests of
hearing with modern apparatus will be carried out
periodically.
The Watling Estate was selected as being a suitable
circumscribed area, and the work was carried out at the
Watling Schools and the Clinic in Cressingham Road, the
staff of which we thank sincerely for their energetic and
enthusiastic co-operation. An aural examination was
made on:—
(1) all children who had attended the Minor Ailments
Clinic within the last two years for any aural
trouble ;
(2) children noted by the School teachers to be deaf or
to have running ears :
(3) children between seven and twelve years old
failed by Dr. Phyllis Kerridge when she tested
them with the gramophone audiometer in the
schools.
Altogether, the hearing of about 3,000 children was
tested in the schools by Dr. Kerridge, and 522 were
examined by me, of whom 18 were found to be suffering
from chronic otorrhoea. The cases have so far been
observed at weekly intervals and treated at the Clinic as
well as at home. Cleansing treatments are being tried
first of all. If some of the cases are resistant, other forms
will be instituted. Operative measures such as the removal
of diseased tonsils and adenoids may be necessary,
and X-ray examinations of the temporal bones and sinews
will precede and follow such procedures. The cases
will be followed up throughout the Summer, Autumn and
Winter, and the number (if any) of relapses noted. It
was originally hoped to have enough cases to try the
effect of sending half of them away to the country for a