Fifth annual report
1932 1932 1930s 86 pages : illustrations hand, of the cheerful assumption of greater burdens and the maintenance, nevertheless, of a most patient regard for the intimate welfare of their charges. Owing to the numbers of patients admitted, the Hospital has shown a marked increase in active surgical...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
1932
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/4EAB82E9-D18A-412F-8D01-08512FD41D9D http://hdl.handle.net/10796/A90DBEB3-2B15-41C2-B006-9625E2986249 |
| Summary: | 1932
1932
1930s
86 pages : illustrations
hand, of the cheerful assumption of greater burdens and the maintenance, nevertheless, of a most patient regard for the intimate welfare of their charges. Owing to the numbers of patients admitted, the Hospital has shown a marked increase in active surgical work, both operative and non-operative, and, in addition, there have been admitted a special group of patients suffering from acute anterior poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis), which in epidemic form was found throughout England in the autumn and which attacked the south-eastern area of Devon quite severely. The work in the Clinics has been influenced greatly by the policy of discharging certain patients early from Hospital. More active treatment has been conducted at these dispersed out-patient centres. This work is often of the greatest importance in the progress of the case. In such operations as muscle transplantation for paralysis, the real treatment commences later in the re-educative work done by the masseuse and in her supervision of the patients own efforts at home. Numerous excellent results of such work have been seen. The average number of attendances per patient has not shown any increase ; there have, however, been a larger number of patients for whom the consultative services of the Orthopaedic Surgeon have been sought, both by private practitioners and by the school medical officers. In the latter connection the Clinics are called upon to fulfil a very important function in preventive work, in the detection and treatment of the postural defects of childhood ; of curvature of the spine and flat feet. In this sphere difficulties are sometimes found in carrying out treatments frequently enough. These are often simply advisory in nature and provide a means of checking the patient's individual efforts at home. Because a child may not be having pain it is often difficult to persuade parents of the importance of treating early cases of spinal curvature. Weekly treatments can often be arranged, even more often is sometimes desirable. Difficulties of cost, time and distance make this impossible. With a view to effecting an economy in the cost of this work for the milder cases, a scheme is under discussion with the County Medical Officer by which they may be dealt with in classes in some of the larger centres under properly-instructed Health Visitors. In last year's report a case of club foot was illustrated. We are now able to show a further stage in this lad's progress. As a further demonstration of the type of work done in restoring cases of infantile paralysis, the photographs are given of a boy with loss of shoulder muscles before and after treatment. It is impossible to close this report without mentioning the grave loss which we all feel in the recent death of Sir Robert Jones, the father of modern orthopaedic surgery, the benefactor of many thousands of patients and the inspiration of those of us who try to follow in his footsteps. NORMAN CAPENER. 14
292/841.51/2/2 |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |