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22
Eye Disease.
84 Cases of Eye Disease have been treated at School Clinic.
These have been chiefly Conjunctivitis, Blepharitis, with some
Phlyctenular Ulcers, and suppurative conditions of the lids.
Tonsils and Adenoids.
Out of 248 children referred for treatment, 65 received treatment
either privately or through a hospital, whilst 30 were treated
under the Education Authority's scheme,' and 4 received other
forms of treatment. Arrangements have been in force since 1921,
whereby children requiring operative treatment for enlarged tonsils
and adenoids, can obtain this either at the Hounslow or Richmond
Hospital, the Education Committee accepting all responsibility
for the fee. Re-payments are claimed from the parents in accordance
with the following scale.
Weekly family income Amount
per head per case
Under 8/- nil.
From 8/- to 10/- 5/-
From 10/- to 12; 10/-
Above 12/- 21/-
Operative treatment of tonsils and adenoids in this district
still remains unsatisfactory—the numbers receiving treatment are
small and the conditions under which operative treatment is offered
could be greatly improved.
The greatest objection is that under the arrangement with the
local hospitals, children are sent home after operation. The second
is the cost—which deters many.
No scheme can be considered really satisfactory which does
not provide for the treatment of the child in a hospital for at least
the 24 hours following the operation, and to be really satisfactory
it should be 4 days, in view of the more extensive nature of the
operation now considered necessary and the consequently larger
surfaces liable to infection.
In this district the difficulty of getting the children home after
the operation is great. If the child is tiny, a pram can be usedotherwise
it means walking or using a public conveyance. Neither
is right—and one cannot blame parents from shrinking from having
treatment under such circumstances.