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100
The number of cases seen by the Surgeon and the number
of children attending the massage and remedial clinic have both
increased by approximately 60 per cent., including children of
under school age, and this service is of utmost importance when
it is borne in mind that orthopaedic defects are most successfully
remedied when they are treated as early as possible.
The co-operation received from the County School Medical
Officer and his staff has left nothing to be desired, and I am
indebted to Mr. K. F. Hulbert, the Orthopaedic Surgeon, for the
following report:—
" The Bromley Orthopaedic Clinic was taken over from Mr.
J. A. Cholmeley of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital at
the beginning of 1947 by Mr. Mayer, the Orthopaedic Surgeon to
the Kent County Council.
" In October the Clinic was taken over by Mr. K. F. Hulbert
who had come from the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital to
take up the appointment of Assistant Orthopaedic Surgeon to
the Kent County Council.
" During the year 22 clinics were held on the 2nd and 4th
Fridays of every month. 299 new cases were seen and 652 cases
in all attended for examination by the surgeon. There were
3,594 attendances for massage and exercises and 1,983 for ultraviolet
light.
" When inpatient treatment is indicated, the patients are
admitted to the County Hospital, Pembury, but wherever
possible minor operations are carried out at Dartford County
Hospital and the patients are then sent home by ambulance in
the evening. This arrangement is not of choice but of necessity
owing to the shortage of hospital beds which affects the County
Hospitals as it affects almost every other hospital in the country.
" It is very gratifying to be able to see orthopaedic deformities
coming up early at a stage at which correction by
physiotherapy is usually fairly simple. Such things as scoliosis
and flat feet if seen in the early years are almost all curcd by a
course of exercises."
OPHTHALMIC CLINIC.
(See Table III, Group II)
Dr. Eric Lyle reports as follows:—
" This year has seen an increase in the number of Eye Clinics
to two regular sessions per week. This has had to be done in
order to keep abreast of the ever-increasing number of cases sent
for examination and treatment.