Hare: A Study of Handicapped Children 



25 



in 1 case, kidney trouble; in 1 case, he?rt trouble; in 1 case, 

 accident ; m 1 case, complete degeneration ; and in 2 cases, 

 acute infections. The number of cases cured or greatly im- 

 proved by surgical treatment so far outnumber the cases 

 v\'here results have been unsatisfactory that orthopedic sur- 

 gery has been proved an immeasurable pinnacle in the devel- 

 opment of scientific treatment. 



In connection AAuth the diagnoses of the cases here studied, 

 it is interesting to note the family history of disease in the 

 various cases, and the hypothetical relation of family health 

 conditions to the deformed condition of the various patients. 

 The data given in the following table are far from exhaustive 

 and complete, since in the cases of children from out of town 

 it was impossible to learn full family history, and again in 

 other cases the ignorance of the patient's family revealed the 

 impossibility of securing authentic information from them. 

 In the follovring classification "negative" family history is 

 used to include these cases where information was not forth- 

 coming, and also those cases where, as far as could be dis- 

 covered, there was a clean slate on the family health condi- 

 tions. See the Table of Family History of Disease. 



From this table it can be seen that, on the whole, de- 

 formity of children does not reflect directly on family health 

 conditions. Tuberculosis is frequent in the families of chil- 

 dren having tuberculous bone and joint infection, vdiich shows 

 that a weakened constitution with a receptive tendency to ac- 

 quire tuberculosis is inherited, and also that it is a contagious 

 disease. Infantile paralysis, being a contagious infection, 

 naturally does not need family inherited conditions to explain 

 its development. Tho syphilis is sometimes responsible for 

 cases of congenital deformity, yet it is not as frequent a cause 

 as intra-uterine pressure. Therefore the conclusion can be 

 drawn that with the exception of the tuberculosis conditions, 

 deformity of children cannot be attributed to related family 

 physical conditions. 



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