View report page

104
(i) Crippling Defects.
Orthopædic treatment has been continued under arrangement
made with the Balaam Street Children's Hospital of the Invalid
and Cripple Children's Society.
The treatment at the hospital includes operative, electrical
and massage treatment, remedial exercises and the supply of
surgical appliances, and is carried out under the direction of an
orthopaedic surgeon.
Payment is made to the Hospital Authorities by a per capita
grant contribution in respect of East Ham scholars sent to the
Hospital through the School Medical Service.
All children referred by the Authority's Medical Officers to
the Hospital for treatment are kept under observation at frequent
intervals at one or other of the School Clinics, in order that the
progress of the cases may be watched and recorded, and to ensure
that treatment has not been allowed to lapse. If at any time such
a case fails to attend the School Clinic it automatically becomes
included in the following-up list of one of the School Nurses. A
large amount of work has been undertaken at the Hospital and has
been highly satisfactory.
During the year 1928, 20 out-patients and 4 in-patients have
received orthopædic treatment. The total out-patients' attendances
was 464, whilst the average number of weeks involved in the
case of each in-patient was 11.8.
(j) The Light Clinic.
For the purpose of carrying out artificial light treatment there
are two arc lamps in the Town Hall Clinic: a quadruple carbon are
lamp of the radial type for general therapeutic purposes and a
single tungsten arc lamp for local treatment. Although the Clinic
is only available on two sessions per week for this form of treatment
we have continued to experience very satisfactory results.
A further twelve months' experience of actino-therapy does not
warrant any change of opinion as to the superior value of this
form of treatment, in the type of cases selected, over all other
measures which have been given a trial, and I can only reiterate
and confirm my report of last year. A certain amount of unwarrantable
disrepute has fallen upon actino-therapy and, in all
probability, this is due to the fact that the general public, and