View report page

165
Diseases of Central Nervous System. Amongst those
brought to the Clinic were a number of cases of infantile
paralysis, spastic paraplegia, etc., some of which had not
been recognised. These children were referred to a
specialist for opinion and appropriate treatment, whilst
sunlight treatment was given, not as a specific, but in
the hope of contributing to the general well-being of the
patient.
Other Diseases. A number of cases of congenital
heart disease, Mongolism, Xerodermia, and other constitutional
conditions were recognised. These were submitted
to treatment without the hope of securing any
tangible beneift. In a number of these cases, however,
the parents were so satisfied that improvement was
obtained that they went to considerable inconvenience
to maintain a regular attendance of the children at the
Clinic over long periods.
Mothers. Twenty-five nursing and expectant mothers
received treatment, practically all by means of the
mercury-vapour lamp and a few by the carbon-arc lamp.
An improvement in their general physical condition was
noted in 13 instances; in 7 there was no change, and 5
others were receiving treatment at the end of the year.
A curious feature of the statistics is the number in
which treatment was abandoned. There are several
explanations of this. At the beginning, sunlight treatment
was in demand. Mothers had heard about it and
some of them believed that it could effect miracles in a
very few treatments ; on being disillusioned they found
it inconvenient to attend. Those mothers living at a
distance, particularly those in Abbey Wood, in Eltham
and New Eltham, found it difficult to give the necessary
time. There were indeed 25 who attended for