View report page

17
and a masseuse attends daily for the purpose of carrying out treatment
and remedial exercises or other measures advised.
The report of Mr. Seddon, F.R.C.S., Orthopaedic Surgeon of the
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, is as follows:—
"The work at the Orthopaedic Clinic is now running smoothly and
is carried out under ideal conditions.
"I am not, perhaps, competent to pass an opinion on the new Health
Centre as a whole, but I am satisfied that the orthopaedic department
leaves nothing to be desired. The arrangement of the rooms is excellent,
the equipment is sufficient for our present needs, and the provision of
paved ground outside will be much appreciated during the summer months
by children who attend the remedial exercise classes.
"On the assumption that the statistics cover most of the children in
Tottenham (there may still be a number attending hospitals in the neighbourhood),
the present position is satisfactory. Deformity due to rickets
has almost vanished, and with one exception there has been a remarkable
absence of severe crippling disease. The exception is infantile paralysis.
During the summer of 1937 there was an unusual outbreak of this disease
—hardly amounting to an epidemic, but sufficient to call for frequent
comment in the medical journals. More cases of this disease have been
admitted to Stanmore than ever before. Three came from Tottenham,
two with mild paralysis that is recovering rapidly, the third with extensive
involvement of both lower limbs. It is almost certain that the last child
will not make a complete recovery, and he may have to wear some form
of apparatus for the rest of his life. This is the curse of this disease.
It afflicts previously healthy children. It is rarely fatal, at any rate in
this country, and it may leave a child with permanent disability that
is a grave burden to himself and to society. Fortunately, modern orthopaedic
treatment can do much to hasten recovery, but until we know
more about the cause and prevention of this devastating disease, it will
continue to be a serious problem, both medically and economically."