[Report 1953] / School Medical Officer of Health, Sunderland.

  • Sunderland (Tyne and Wear, England). Council.
Date:
1953
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1953] / School Medical Officer of Health, Sunderland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    carry it out. The coaching is now given in the Remedial Teaching Centre, catering for the emotionally disturbed child who fails at school in spite of having adequate intelligence. Lectures. The education of the public in the principles of Mental Health has always been an important part of the clinic’s work. Lectures have been given to many groups in the North-East, Community Centres, Parent-Teacher Associations, Women’s and Church Groups, Conferences and larger public meetings, besides students of all kinds. A visit to the staff meeting on Tuesday morning is probably one of the best ways of seeing how the clinic works ; at least a constant stream of visitors—doctors, teachers, administrators, lecturers and social workers—thinks so. As regards the success of the clinic, 75 per cent, is that usually claimed for general medicine, and the clinic results bear this out, except in the case of enuresis, in which the percentage is much higher. The evaluation of treatment becomes harder the more experienced the clinician. The disappearance of the symptoms does not necessarily mean the resolution of the disturbing mechanism. How can one judge success or failure ? It can only be attempted years afterwards when the adjustment obtained during treatment may then be judged as to whether it gave only temporary relief or helped to a greater integration of personality than would otherwise have been expected. There are, however, so many variables— maturation, life’s experience, &c.—the judgment on the matter is largely subjective. Quantitative evaluation would appear at this stage of our knowledge to be impossible. It has been the practice of this clinic not to claim “ adjustment,” but when this appears to take place to call it “ improvement,” and when it does not take place to call it “ non-adjustment.” Numbers. New Cases—• Carried forward from 1952 .... .... .... 143 Referred during 1953.... .... .... .... 381 Re-referred from previous years .... .... 18 542 Cases seen during 1953 . .... .... 407 Re-referred cases dealt with .... .... .... 18 Carried forward unexamined .... .... 41 Otherwise dealt with .... .... .... .... 76 542 32