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REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE AURAL CLINICS
by
C.J.Scott, M.B., Ch.B., D.L.O.
I am glad to report that the Ear, Nose and Throat clinics in the Borough of West Ham
during the past year have been well attended, and the special attention paid by the medical
officers of the borough to detect cases of deafness in children has been most successful.
This problem is now receiving very careful study in the borough in all age groups for
children. The Audiology Unit is now well established to detect and to treat the early cases
of congenital deafness. In addition, the usual number of children have been presented for
tonsils and adenoids operations and these have been carried out at Whipps Cross Hospital.
A considerable number with chronic sinusitis have also been admitted and treated.
The number of chronic mastoids is now much less but several have required a radical
form of surgery in the past year.
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,
84 West Ham Lane, E.15.
Monday and Tuesday mornings
9 a.m. to 12 noon
Rosetta School Clinic,
Sophia Road, Custom House, E.l6.
Friday mornings
9 a.m. to 12 noon
HEARING OF SCHOOL CHILDREN.
The methodical testing of school children by the gramophone audiometer ceased in
November, 1952, when the audiometrician resigned her appointment, but in the autumn of 1954
a school nurse was sent to one of the Divisions of the London County Council for training,
and for the last two months of 1954, the whole of 1955 and the first half of this year was
engaged for four sessions a week in audiometric work in the schools. Her work was efficiently
carried out and it was found that gramophone audiometry was well within the competence of a
good school nurse. The nurse found the survey work an interesting addition to her other
duties and she had the advantage of being already well known to many of the children whom she
had to test.
In the early part of 1955 Miss A.Smart, an audiometrician, was appointed and commenced
duty on 21st February. Her work is divided between the School Health Service and the Regional
Hospital Board, giving approximately half her time to each service. Besides testing the
children in the schools with the gramophone audiometer, the audiometrician also attends the
ear, nose and throat clinics with the audiologist, the deaf school, spastic unit and the
Audiology Unit. Her specialist knowledge of pure-tone testing is taken advantage of in certain
of these centres.
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