The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-07

mi1-rlch orange juice and tomato juice. Particularly just before and following operations, do we ply our patients with fruit juices. The gen. eral health of our patients is excel lent and our poSt-operative record is unusually good, our patients showing remarkable vitality in rally ing from even the most complicated and intricate orthopaedic opera tio11S.
 Another simple preventive meas ure, one causing some heartaches but with which most parents are heartily cooperative, is our policy of admitting to the home no visitors under sixteen years of age. This measure we believe has helped to prevent the introduction mong our patients of most of the epidemics recurring from time to time in the various communities of the State.
 Pe6iatric Care
 Tt is necessary, too, to guard against infections or contagious which the patients themselves might bring to the home. To prevent such development, we follow a careful program of observation and exam ination of each newly admitted pa- tient. Every child entering as a resident patient is kept under ob- servation for g. time and is given preliminary and periodic laboratory tests to discover any ircipient ol active conditions which might en- danger himself or other children in | the home.
 All our space, equipment, and staff at Newington Home are in constant demand to serve the needs of children. suffering some non- communicable crippling orthopaedic condition for which there is hope of betterment under our ortho- paedic treatment. We have to leave to other institutions adequately equipped with emergency or isola- ton wards the care of patients in need of treatment for infectious or contagious conditions. Thus, should child show 8 positive reaction to one of the preliminary or periodic laboratory tests-the tuberculin test, for instance, or some other con- tagiouS condition-hiS own welfare as well as that of our other pa- tients would necessitate his trans fer to some institution equipped to give just the special treatment his condition necessitates till such time as he could be safely returned to Newington Home to begin or resume his orthopaedic treatment and care
 Dental Care
 Another vital factor in our whole program of preventive, cor rective, and constructive child care is our aggressive dental policy. We realize that good teeth are essential to good health and that the health and arrangement of the permanent teeth are conditioned by the health and arrangement of the first teeth = the baby teeth so often neglect ed by parents. Every baby tooth, and every permanent tooth, is given unremitting care at Newington Home.
 we do not wait for the cry in the night that tells of neglected teeth. On admission to the home each child is given prophylactic treatment and complete clinical and x-ray examination, followed by such preventive and corrective den- tai care as is needed, and we find that much is needed. Many chil- dren come to Us with teeth in such neglected condition as to menace their health as well as to cause serious facial distigurements.
 ITO correct vulnerable defects and maintain regular oral cleanliness, so necessary to prevent caries-or de- cay, our orthodontist and dentist are in regular attendance and they are assisted by fuIl-time dental hygienist.
 Tt is difficult to over r-estimate the importance of their preventive and corrective dental work as a factor in limiting the handicaps and in improving the general health and vitality Of these crippled children.
 OFtb0paedic Care
 "Of course, the real reason for the presepcc of these crippled children at the Newington Home is their need for the orthopaedic treatment pro- yided here. Unfortunately. the fa- cilities and resources Of the Home are pot unlimited.
 But we are constantly yigilant to see that our services are kept avail eble for every crippled child of Con- necticut whose condition can be iIIl- proved end whose further handi- caps can be prevented by our or- thopaedic care and treatment. We are equally anxious to see that every such child shall be brought to us as soon as possible after the onset Of his difficulty, for not only are preventive measures highly impOr- tant in limiting deformitias but also Is the early use Of such measures extremely important. Orthopaedic Treatment sometimes requires c sefles Oe surgical procedures extend- inc over Q period Of years; paFticu- laTly can this be true when preyen- AV0 nleasfK0@ haVA henn 0nifted on