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Ultra-violet irradiation, like many other therapeutic
measuies, cannot be employed in a specific capacity for
any of the above conditions and, as a matter of fact,
much harm may be done in certain cases by unskilled
and injudicious use, and careful examination and complete
diagnosis is a very essential preliminary to actino-therapy, frequent
re-examination to determine the effect and to assess the dosage
being also essential. In this connection it is obviously highly
important in cases of malnutrition, debility, anaemia and so-called
pretuberculosis to eliminate at the outset definite underlying
organic or constitutional disease which may require specific treatment;
for whilst in some of these cases ultra-violet radiation may
be of value when combined with specific treatment, in others it is
definitely contra-indicated. Where, however, such conditions are
hereditary, dietetic, environmental or catarrhal in origin the
general application of ultra-violet radiation is of great value, and
it is cases of this type which have been treated at the Town Hall
Light Clinic.
Children suffering from hypertonia of the nervous system, the
highly strung, excitable, irritable and choreic types do not in all
cases appear to respond very satisfactorily to ultra-violet radiation.
(iv) Dosage.
The limitation of time, the poor accommodation, the large
number of attendances and the fact that an endeavour is being
made to give as many children as possible the benefit of attendance
at the Clinic, have rendered it a somewhat difficult task to regulate
the dosage as accurately as one would desire but, generally speaking,
the exposure in each case has been so guaged as to produce
the minimum possible degree of byperæmia, and the period varies
from about three minutes in the case of new patients to fifteen or
twenty minutes in the case of those who have been under treatment
for some time.
(v) Results.
Results cannot be assessed by comparing the effects of
different forms of treatment and of ultra-violet radiation upon
groups of children who are apparently suffering; from a similar
disease or defect : as indicated above there are so many factors
to be considered in selecting suitable cases for treatment. Gain