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and are rather involved, it would be better to entrust one particular medical officer with
the task of seeing all these children. Towards the end of 1958 this change was made and
was found to be a move in the right direction. We were fortunate in having a medical
officer who has a special interest and previous experience in ear, nose and throat work.
This medical officer sees all the relevant children in the "Hearing Clinic" and
assesses the children's hearing clinically and compares it with the result obtained by
audiometry. She decides whether further treatment is necessary and advises on referral to
G.P., the Ear Nose and Throat Specialist or to the Audiology Clinic. Quite a number of
children referred to this Clinic are found to have normal hearing, the hearing loss found
on audiometry having been only temporary and due to very trivial causes, such as wax. The
same medical officer is responsible for the medical care of the children at the School for
the Deaf, and attends the Audiology Clinic where she assists the Specialist Otologist. This
enables her to undertake liaison with the Education Department by informing the teaching
staff of the child's hearing loss, the ordering of a hearing aid, and by forwarding certain
recommendations such as "favourable position in class".
Analysis of 273 examined at the Hearing Clinics
No abnormality and normal hearing found on clinical examination 49
Hearing loss due to obstruction in the external ear (e.g.wax) 41
Hearing loss due to pathological changes in the middle ear 70
Hearing loss due to obstruction of the custachian tubes usually
as a result of catarrhal conditions 82
Hearing loss due to impairment in function of the auditory nerve
(high tone deafness) 18
Cause of hearing loss unknown (usually due to changes in the
central nervous system as a result of birth injury, neo-natal
jaundice etc.) (perceptive deafness) 9
Miscellaneous causes 4
Action taken:-
Pound normal and discharged 49
Referred to Ear Nose and Throat Specialist (with general
pracitioner's consent) 72
Referred to Audiology Unit 18
Recommended favourable position in class 26
Still under observation 106
All the more serious cases of deafness and those resistant to treatment are referred
to the Audiology Clinic, where they are seen by the Consultant, and all important decisions
with regard to hearing aids, special educational treatment and auditory training are made.
98