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142
The great difficulty is the small and poor accommodation.
The only rooms which can be used for ultra-violet ray treatment
are those allocated for Clinic purposes generally, viz., the
two comparatively small rooms situated on the top floor of the
Town Hall premises: these are only available on two sessions per
week, and considerable difficulty is experienced as the result of
overcrowding in the waiting-room : it is impossible under these
circumstances to insist upon the very necessary period of rest after
treatment before the children leave the building.
A brief summary of the cases treated by general and local
irradiation throughout the year is given on the previous page.
The number of children recommended for treatment is so
considerable that it is only possible to provide the minimum
amount of irradiation. To obtain full benefit, visits should be
more frequent, and the time of exposure to the beneficial rays
gradually and systematically increased.
In part, the effect of light treatment is to aid nutrition,
improve physical well-being, and thereby increase resistance of
the body to infection. In the case of children, this is mostly
catarrhal in character. The amount of illness resulting from
repeated attacks, the complications and deleterious effects which
may ensue from susceptibility to repeated colds and catarrh,
necessitate more adequate provision for such treatment.
Statistics for 1933 show a still greater demand for sunlight
therapy.
The daily use of the artificial light apparatus would be a great
asset in our endeavours towards the prevention of ill-health and
disease in early life, and the provision of specific accommodation
would make this possible. A much larger waiting room is urgently
necessary to enable the children to have a comfortable period
of rest after treatment before they leave the building.
9. OPEN-AIR EDUCATION.
(a) Playground Classes.
In a few cases playground classes continue to be held
occasionally.