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114
Aural Clinic.
During the year 1951 it was found necessary to increase the
number of sessions of the Aural Clinic from one a month to one
a week. The long waiting list was seriously hampering the usefulness
of the clinic, particularly in cases of ear trouble where the
child's hearing might be affected seriously or permanently.
These weekly sessions were begun in May and there were 29
sessions held during 1951, with a total attendance of 181 new cases
and 168 re-attendances. This gives an average of 12 per session.
Although 16 appointments are made for each session, attendance
averages are brought down by occasional very poorly attended
sessions owing to sickness among the children, or inclement weather.
Aural cases, e.g. chronic suppurative otitis media,
secretory otitis media and other hearing difficulties
77
Nasal obstruction 15
Nasal catarrh and allied conditions 16
"Tonsils" cases 32
Adenoids 4
Septal defects 5
Allergic rhinitis 4
Polypus (nose or ear) 3
Atrophic rhinitis 1
Otosclerosis 1
Miscellaneous 23
181
Of the 168 subsequent attendance cases 105 were cases of chronic
otitis media, secretory otitis and other ear conditions. Many of the
children had to attend for examination two or three times. In this
type of work it is not easy to say how many cases are discharged
as cured or improved, for the depressing thing about ear trouble
is that even after many months of being free of any type of trouble
or disability fresh infection occurs and the work has to be done all
over again.
"Tonsils".
Very few children are referred to the Aural Clinic on the
appearance or size of the tonsils alone ; almost all had some
other sign or symptom which might or might not be due to the