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Table IV. Group IV. Orthopaedic Defects (Page 121).
This table gives statistical details of the Orthopaedic
Clinic. The Clinic supervises the treatment of all
children suffering from crippling defects. Five sessions
are held weekly with a Masseuse in attendance. Incorporated
with this Clinic is an Ultra Violet Ray Clinic at
which 1,511 attendances for treatment were made during
the year 1935.
Mr. H.J. Seddon, Orthopaedic Surgeon, attends twice
monthly, and cases requiring hospital treatment are
referred by him to the Royal National Orthopaedic
Hospital, Stanmore, Middlesex.
It is pleasing to note that major crippling defects are
seldom found, but minor defects continue to make up by
far the greater portion of cases discovered. It is apparent
that if crippling conditions are to be prevented children
must attend as soon as such defects are discovered, and
only thus may permanent crippling be prevented. The
reference of maternity and child welfare cases to this
Clinic, as is similarly done to all other clinics, has led to
such cases receiving early expert treatment when the
condition is most easily remediable. Table IV. (Group
IV.) shows that 396 children attended this Clinic for
treatment.
Mr. H. J. Seddon reports as follows:—
"The enlargement of the Orthopaedic room at the Clinic is most
welcome. Considerable space is necessary for the proper examination
of orthopaedic patients and there is no doubt that the room used until
recently was much too small for the purpose. Furthermore, the
Masseuse can now deal far more efficiently with the cases requiring
treatment.
The out-patient work has run smoothly during the past year and
there is no evidence indicating laxity in the inspection of school
children, nor indifference on the part of the parents.
Thirteen cases were admitted for treatment or for the completion
of hospital treatment begun in the previous year. Successful results
were obtained in all the ten cases where operation or manipulation
and plaster was required. One child, P.M., was of outstanding
interest. Benign inflammation of the head of the femur, a
condition known as osteochondritis is relatively common, and we have
dealt with a number of such cases from Bromley and other Clinics.
This child was admitted on account of swelling of the knee, and we
find that she has a similar condition involving the lower end of the