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the reduction and prevention of deafness. Certain factors have materially
contributed to this near disappearance of chronic otorrhoea, namely, the
discovery and successful treatment of acute cases the treatment of any
predisposing or complicating condition that might be likely to produce a recurrence;
also the administration of new drugs such as the antibiotics and
penicillin, in the very early stage of otitis thus preventing a considerable
number of cases of acute inflammation of the ear becoming chronic with
purulent discharge; and finally the rapid and successful treatment of a
chronic case when it is discovered.
Treatment of Discharging Ears. The correct treatment of an early acute
discharging ear is vitally important for two reasons, first to prevent the
condition from becoming chronic, and second, to save the hearing, for the
longer the ear continues to discharge the greater the danger to the recovery
of the hearing. Many cases of serious deafness in later years are directly
due to inadequate or neglected treatment of the affected ear in its early
stage. The application of ear suction with the Snith's tube as advised by
Levine of New York is a very valuable method and the only one that can be
relied on to cleanse the middle ear of discharge and to ensure the entry of
the selected antiseptic into the middle ear cavity, which is essential for
quick recovery of the infected ear.
Children seen at the clinic during the year, as in previous years, were
referred from the school medical inspections, minor ailment clinics and infant
welfare centres as suffering from nose and throat infections, and a certain
number of cases of impaired hearing.
Such common distressing complaints as nasal obstruction, mouth breathing,
recurring colds and sore throats, nasal discharge and deafness (in the absence
of present or previous ear discharge) in children, form a large percentage of
the cases referred. These conditions are usually secondary, and mainly due
to primary diseased conditions in the naso-pharynx and nasal accessory
sinuses. It is important to recognise this fact if treatment is to be
successful, and essential for the successful correction of any abnormal
condition to trace the primary cause and correct this, since treating a
secondary result alone, is treating only a 'sign' and will not cure the
original disease.
Audiometry. The question of impaired hearing in children and its
relationship to disease in the naso-pharynx or nasal sinuses is one that
requires the most careful attention, since correct diagnosis and adequate
treatment of the cause is the first step in the prevention of permanent deafness
later on. It is here that the regular audiometric testing of the
hearing in school children is of such great value. This method will detect
accurately the smallest loss in hearing which could quite easily go unnoticed
by parents or teachers or by the usual hearing tests available at routine