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83
Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic.
The E.N.T. Clinic is held at Valentines Mansion, the Surgeon attending
one session weekly.
48 sessions were held during 1956 and 749 attendances were made
by 423 children of school age, of whom 203 were new cases.
The Consulting Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon (Miss Margaret Mason)
submits the following report:—
"The work of the clinic remains fairly steady; last year 749
attendances were made; 203 new patients attended.
The bulk of our work deals, of course, with cases of tonsil and
adenoid disease, and this year we were fortunate in having been able
to use the 6 beds at the Isolation Hospital for a large part of the
year. We were thus able to operate on 204 cases, and the list at
the end of the year had fallen to 44, compared with 188 one year ago.
This happy state of affairs is largely due to the non-development of
any poliomyelitis epidemic during the summer, a situation which may
or may not be repeated in future years.
An increasing number of children are referred for examination
with regard to their hearing, and I am pleased to observe that in
many instances this matter is first raised by the parents, who are
becoming more 'deafness-conscious'. I would still wish to see the
establishment of a specialised deafness clinic for the over-fives in
this area. Although we receive the most helpful co-operation from
the Audiology Unit in Grays Inn Road, they serve such a large area
that, despite the most noble efforts on the part of the staff, patients often
have to wait several months before an appointment can be given; and
if a period of auditory training is advised, the necessary journeys are
costly in both time and money."