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42
"There have been very few cases of chronic otorrhoea.
This is largely due to the early, effective treatment of otitis
in its acute stage. Chronic otorrhoea is, in the main, the
result of neglected or improperly treated acute otorrhoea,
and it is for this reason that we now insist, as far as it is
possible, that all patients with acute otorrhoea attend the
clinics daily where the treatment is carried out by nurses
specially trained in this work, with all the necessary facilities
at hand, rather than giving the parents a bottle of 'ear drops'
with directions for use, which in very few instances can be
satisfactorily carried out. The most important point—the
thorough cleansing of the ear, swab or by suction, is quite
impossible for the parents to do. There has been a remarkable
improvement in the rapidity with which these acute otitis
cases have healed up since having efficient clinic treatment.
The rapid cure of acute otitis is important in the prevention
of deafness.
"Zinc ionisation has been employed for all cases of chronic
otorrhoea, and it still remains the most effective and rapid
method of curing this condition, but the technique must be
correct in all its details.
"Diastolisation has been used successfully in the majority
of nasal cases, rhinitis, catarrh, deafness, etc.
"During the early summer three cas.es of hay fever were
cured of any further 'attacks' by one or two applications of
nasal ionisation.
"It was not possible to carry out routine Audiometric
testing for hearing in all school children as in pre-war time,
but it has been regularly employed for all those with ear defects
attending the aural clinic, and the special cases referred from
school examinations and the Deaf School".
SUMMARY.
Total number of new cases examined and prescribed for
during 1943 799
As follows:—
Acute otitis—school children 251
Acute otitis—pre-school children 28
Chronic otorrhoea, without complications—school
children 27