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44
(g) Crippling Defects and Orthopaœdics.
During the year 23 individual children received electrical,
massage, and other forms of treatment at the Red Cross
Curative Post, Norbiton, making 1,071 total attendances.
The cost of the above out-patient treatment amounted
to £112 16s., towards which the parents contributed £43 3s.
Four children were admitted to St. Vincent's
Orthopaedic Hospital, Eastcote, for in-patient treatment, at
a total cost of £121 5s. 3d., the parents contributing
£25 10s.
The Central Aid Society has helped in obtaining letters
for hospitals, etc., in cases where the parents cannot afford
to pay, and also in sending children away for convalescence
to the seaside.
. The National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to
Children has aided in following up obstinate cases when
notified by the School Medical Officer.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
There was no school closure during the year for
infectious disease.
Except for very small outbreaks of mumps and
whooping cough at Richmond Road Infants' and Bonner
Hill Road Infants' Schools respectively, the Schools enjoyed
a remarkable freedom from infectious diseases for the first
nine months of the year.
In October, however, cases of diphtheria were notified
among children attending Bonner Hill Road Infants'
and Girls' Schools. In all, nine cases in the Infants' and
six cases in the Girls' Departments were notified during the
last three months of the year. Supervision and swabbing
of contacts was undertaken, and also inspection and
swabbing in classes in which the cases occurred. As a
result, six healthy carriers were isolated.
On the whole the cases were mild, many suffering only
from nasal discharge proved to be diphtheria bacteriologically,
but one death occurred in a very virulent case.
The Schools were disinfected during the Christmas
vacation.
FOLLOWING UP.
The following-up of children suffering from defects is