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16
Weekly family income Amount
per head per case
Under 8/- nil.
From 8/- to 10/- 5/-
From 10/- to 12/- 10/-
Above 12/- 21/-
The number of cases treated this year shows an improvement
—the figures representing one half of those requiring treatment, as
against one third in 1926.
The treatment of this condition, however, still remains unsatisfactory.
Parents object to operative treatment chiefly on the
grounds of: —
1. The unpleasantness of the operation.
2. The cost, which in many cases amounts to the full
charge of £1 : i : o.
3. The fact that the local hospitals are unable to keep the
children as In-patients for the night following the
operation.
This latter is a very real objection, and many mothers experience
difficulty in getting their children home after the operation,
and in giving them after care. This is particularly the case
in the poorer homes, where there is much overcrowding, and often
the mother goes out to work.
No scheme for the treatment of Tonsils and Adenoids can be
considered really satisfactory which does not provide for the treatment
of the child in the 24 hours following the operation.
Dr. Roberts states that the figure 101 represents only the well
marked cases—there are many others with unsatisfactory conditions
of the Naso Pharynx, but of a slighter degree. Such cases
could usually have been prevented by proper attention to Nasal
Hygiene from infancy. The most common fault with young
children is a failure to keep the nasal passages clear. Handkerchiefs
are not properly used, and alas! in many cases are not
provided, when the poor child is left to sniff back the nasal
secretion. Years of this practice inevitably produce irritation and
overgrowth of the lymphoid tissue of the Naso Pharynx, and the
resulting mouth breathing accentuates the trouble, forming a
vicious circle.