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71
Payments to the Medical Officer in charge of the clinic and to
the Hackney District Nursing Association for the services of a
nurse at each session amounted during the year to £98 7s. 6d.,
whilst a sum of £18 9s. Od. was received in respect of treatment
given during that period.
A report by Dr. Dorothy B. Gere, the Medical Officer in charge,
is given here.
Report by Dr. Dorothy B. Gere.
Fewer patients were treated in 1930 than in previous years. This decrease
was partly due to the fact that fewer cases of rickets were seen than formerly.
The attendances of patients, however, have been much more satisfactory.
Fifty-eight cases completed treatment during the year, and these included:—
Malnutrition 21 cases
Rickets 10 ,,
Debility 7 ,,
Failure to gain weight 5 ,,
Muscular weakness 4 ,,
Ante-natal 4 ,,
Marasmus 3 ,,
Cervical adenitis 2 ,,
Anaemia 1 ,,
Chronic bronchitis 1 ,,
Total 58 cases
Malnutrition —Contrary to the results observed by some other workers,
cases of chronic malnutrition are found to respond well to artificial sunlight
treatment, provided the condition is not due to a specific cause, such as unhealthy
tonsils or threadworms. Only four of the cases treated showed little signs of
improvement. The remaining seventeen made an average gain in weight of
9J ounces a month, as compared with 2 or 3 ounces a month before treatment
was commenced.
Failure to gain weight.—Though apparently well nourished, these five
children, whose weight had remained stationary for weeks or months, gained on
an average 6i ounces a month after treatment was commenced.
Debility. —The effect of artificial sunlight treatment is always striking in
cases of debility following illness, the general tone being rapidly improved.
The average gain in weight of the patients treated was 11 ounces a month. One
patient, a child of 16 months, had been in hospital for five months with measles,
pneumonia, whooping-cough and chicken-pox, and had made no headway in
two months following her discharge from hospital and was in very poor condition
although it was summer-time. After two months of artificial sunlight treatment
he was immensely improved in every way and had gained 2 pounds in weight.
Another child of eight months was emaciated and weak after having had
diphtheria two months previously and weighed 12 pounds 8 ounces. After
treatment she weighed 17 pounds 11 ounces at thirteen months, had cut teeth
normally, walked alone and was very active.
Marasmus.—Very good results were obtained in the three cases treated.
The children were aged 2 months, 4 months and 4 months, and weighed 7 pounds
12 ounces, 7 pounds 14 ounces and 8 pounds 15 ounces respectively. All were in
very good condition on completion of treatment.