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83
6.—ARTIFICIAL SUNLIGHT TREATMENT CLINIC,
LOWER CLAPTON ROAD.
Opened—14th January, 1926.
Total number of patients treated during 1929: —
114 infants and children, 9 mothers.
Repeat attendances 1,083
Fee charged, 1/- and 2/-, according to circumstances.
Total amount received in fees during the year, £30 7s. Od.
REPORT ON SUNLIGHT CLINIC, 1929.
Dr. Dorothy Gere.
In this report there are considered only those cases which completed
a full course of treatment. A number of patients ceased to
attend for treatment for various reasons, such as the family moving
from the district, the mother having to go out to work, and so on.
Many made one attendance only at the Clinic, which is unsatisfactory,
and it is desirable that those persons sending patients should urge
the necessity for regular attendance until treatment is completed.
The cases treated included : —
Malnutrition 20 cases
Failure to gain weight 19 „
Rickets 14 „
Ante-Natal cases 5 „
Marasmus 5 „
Skin diseases 4 „
Cough 3 „
Muscular weakness 3 ,,
Chilblains 1„
Debility 1„
Sub-acute rheumatism 1„
Tuberculosis of hand 1„
The lamp used is a K.B.B. atmospheric mercury-vapour lamp.
Treatments are begun at a distance of three or four feet from the
lamp for a period of four or five minutes, according to the patient.
The distance is gradually lessened and the time of exposure increased
until patients get six or seven minutes' treatment or longer at eighteen
inches or one foot. Erythema is not aimed at. It is found that
children tolerate stronger doses than adults as a rule.
I he results obtained were as follow : —
Malnutrition.—The only children suffering from malnutrition
who failed to gain weight following treatment were those in whom
some definite cause for the condition could be found, such as unhealthy
tonsils. Even in these cases it is well to improve the general tone of
t e patient with " light " treatment before the tonsils are removed.
F