[Report 1936] / School Medical Officer of Health, Leeds City.

  • Leeds City Council
Date:
1936
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1936] / School Medical Officer of Health, Leeds City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to sit with a splint on either their hip or knee. I n- comfortablc seating is the surest way of producing restlessness, inattention and the like, and work suiters accordingly. A crippled child must be given opportunity to sit in a position of comfort with support where needed and yet be able to use his pen without strain. 1 bus it becomes necessary to consider every child separately and not merely to find a place for him. ('hairs, with various portions of the seat cut away to suit hips fixed in any position are now beyond the stage of experiment, but their height must be adjustable as must the back support. The desk, too, must be adjustable in both height and slope and lixed for the child. It is a waste of time adjusting desks after each lesson. As an example, consider the child who by reason of spinal disease has to spend his or her time lying prone. There may not be many, but there must be equipment available. Cases of severe heart disease must also be catered for, as these children want the least possible physical exertion and do not receive the sympathy shown to the “ picturesque ” cripple and yet this is the worst form of crippling. All these points have been and are being given much consideration, as constant observation of individual appliances worn by children. There is a large field for research in this direction. 4. The work of the Leeds Invalid Children’s Society in connec¬ tion with the School is much appreciated and the crippled children of Leeds lost a friend by the death of Mrs. Walker, the Chairman. The number on roll on December 31st, 1936, was 102. During the year 32 children were admitted and 54 discharged. The number admitted included the following cases :— Tubercular Joints and Spine . . . . 12 Rickets .. .. .. .. . . 3 Heart Disease . . . . . . .. 5 Scoliosis . . . . . . . . . . 2 Arthritis . . . . . . . . . . 2 Osteomyelitis . . . . . . . . 1 Poliomyelitis .. .. .. .. j Friedrich’s Ataxia . . .. .. . t