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treatments, except for adult verrucae cases, septic conditions, and
acute pain, which have to be fitted in for extra treatment between
existing appointments. In addition, there are patients who sometimes
think that they alone should not wait thirteen weeks. In some
cases where the patient is willing, or can afford to do so, and has a
chronic condition, he/she attends a private chiropodist between
visits here.
"Once again ladies have outnumbered the gentlemen, and with
the trend of shoes worn today, will continue to do so, and provide
work for chiropodists for generations to come.
"This year we gave 18,899 treatments to 6,117 patients, making
a total of 3.08 visits per patient for the year, being an increase of
151 over 1957. Male treatments amounted to 4,081, females 14,818;
of these 1,337 were new cases, the males accounting for 400 and
females 937.
"Adult treatments totalled 16,387; 3,037 male, 13,350 female,
and of these 832 were new cases, 188 being male and 644 female.
"During the year transport was again provided for the nonambulant,
265 treatments having been given, 204 to females and
sixty-one to male patients.
"The Children's Clinic still flourishes and is an important part
of our work, but time is limited with only one session per week. In
spite of this, however, 2,512 treatments were given to 699 children,
making 3.5 treatments per patient; of these 1,044 were boys and
1,468 girls: new patients totalled 505, of which 212 were boys and
293 were girls.
"Breaking these figures down again 2,157 treatments were given
for verruca pedis, including 920 boys and 1,237 girls. New patients
with verruca pedis during the year amounted to 359, i.e., 156 boys
and 203 girls."
HEALTH EDUCATION
Throughout the year the Health Visiting Staff have carried out
a regular series of talks at schools and welfare centres. The staff
was increased by one owing to our large programme, and as a
result mothercraft teaching in all secondary modern schools was
extended throughout the school year except in one school.
There has been an increase in the number of requests for talks
to be given to young mothers' groups on a wide range of subjects.
A health visitor arranged and gave a talk and film show to a parent/
teacher association. Group teaching of this nature is a valuable
method of health education and reaches a larger number of the
people as opposed to individual teaching of past years.