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Ear, Nose and Throat Clinics
Weekly sessions were held by Dr. F.P.M. Clarke, the visiting consultant, for Hornsey
children referred for a variety of conditions both in type and degree. Despite this antibiotic era,
otorrhoea still constitutes a problem and the persistent and effective treatment of this complaint
is a prerequisite in the prevention of conductive deafness. Sinus infection, recurrent tonsillitis
and enlarged adenoidal pads were common causes of referral from the school clinics; yet
familiarity must breed no contempt in these cases for they are sources of much general ill-health
and frequent school absence.
The close co-operation in Tottenham between the out-patient department of the Prince of
Wales's General Hospital and the local authority clinic continued under the direction of Mr.
William McKenzie, F.R.C.S., with the able assistance of one of the school medical officers (Dr.
Nora Webster). During the year Mr. McKenzie addressed the school medical officers on some of
the ear, nose and throat problems in connection with their work and a valuable and informative
discussion followed his talk.
Audiology Clinic
As 1959 had seen the appointment of Dr. L. Fisch as consultant otologist to the Area, so
1960 was to herald the opening of the Audiology Unit in new premises on a site adjacent to the
Blanche Nevile School for the Deaf at Tottenham. The investigation and ascertainment of
deafness in children, and the subsequent training and educational placement of the child is
essentially a matter of team-work. It is a pleasure, therefore, to record the good relations which
exist between medical officers and educational personnel in the establishment of a full audiology
service. In addition to the consultant otologist, a school medical officer and an audiometrician
complete the medical component of the team, whilst their educational colleagues comprise the
headmaster of the school (Mr. T.N. Brown), an educational psychologist and a peripatetic teacher
of the deaf.
Dr. Fisch reports that the accoustic conditions of the new premises are very satisfactory
and when all the equipment, which has been ordered, has been assembled, the facilities for testing
the hearing of children will be as good as at any audiology clinic in the country.
It has been of great advantage to have the educational psychologist present at all sessions
of the audiology unit, for she can observe the clinical examination of the child and will be no
stranger to him should a full psychological assessment subsequently prove necessary. An important
function of an audiology unit is to establish the differential diagnosis between deafness and
otherpossible causes of communication difficulty, notably, mental retardation. In this connection,
it is now the approved practice in this Area before any child is ascertained as unsuitable for
education in school under the Education Act 1944, for him first to be screened at the Audiology
Unit to ensure that deafness plays no part in his mental retardation.
The peripatetic teacher of the deaf visits pre-school children in their own homes to provide
the necessary training to ensure they gain the maximum benefit from their hearing aids and, at the