View report page

An analysis of cases sent was as follows:-
Maternity &
School Children Child Welfare
New cases 176 22
Total attendances 1,233 79
Recommended tonsils and adenoids dissection 68
Tonsillectomy and adenomectomy performed 78
Mastoidectomy operations 4
Adenoidectomy operations 9
Antrum lavage 4
Children recommended West Ham School for the Deaf 12
The Ear, Nose and Throat clinics are administered by the West Ham Group of the Hospital
Management Committee but are held on the West Ham Education Committee premises as follows:-
Stratford School Clinic, Monday and Tuesday mornings 9.0 a.m. to 12 noon.
84, West Ham Lane, E.15.
Rosetta School Clinic, Friday mornings, 9.0 a.m. to 12 noon.
Sophia Road, Custom House, E.16.
HEARING OF SCHOOL CHILDREN. The methodical testing of school children by the gramophone
audiometer ceased in November 1952 when the audiometrician resigned her appointment. It has
not been possible to make another appointment, but in the autumn of this year a school nurse
was sent to one of the Divisions of the London County Council for training, and for the last
two months of the year has been engaged for four sessions a week in audiometric work in the
schools. The Chief Assistant School Medical Officer has observed her at work in the schools
and is satisfied as to her efficiency. It is hoped that in the near future an audiometrician
will be appointed to work in the School Health Service and with the Regional Hospital Board,
giving approximately half her time to each service.
From experience it is known chat the value of this group test is to ascertain the less
obvious degrees of deafness which may be relieved by medical treatment, rather than for the
ascertainment of children who are sufficiently deaf to be suffering educationally. Apart from
the cases referred from these audiometric surveys the school medical officers refer any cases
of suspected deafness to the Aural Specialist and if he considers that there is any degree of
deafness present a pure-tone audiogram is taken. Should the audiogram confirm a loss of
hearing sufficient to warrant special educational treatment steps are taken to ascertain the
child as deaf or partially deaf and appropriate action is taken.
The audiometric surveys in the schools very seldom bring to light for the first time
children whose hearing is so defective that they require education in special schools.
Gramophone audiometry cannot be used for children much below eight years of age and in my
report for 1952 I mentioned that some new technical advance would be needed. Since that time
the trend has been away from gramophone audiometry to pure-tone audiometry. The Medical
Research Council's Committee on the Educational Treatment of Deafness has recommended the
adoption of the sweep-frequency method.
100