Children in accident and emergency departments.

allaying any residual worries consequent on putting this piece of automation into practice, while the doctor reflects with Mark Twain that there is something fascinating about science as one gets such wholesome returns ofconjectures out of such trifling investment of fact. 11 Himing CR, Aitken JH. Cathode-ray tube x-ray emission standard for video display terminals. 22 Marha K. Electric and magnetic fields around VDTs-review of biological effects. In: Pearce BG, ed. Allegat"r.v of reproductive hazards from VDUs. Environmental influences on early reproductive loss in a current New York City study. In: Porter IH, Hook EB, eds. Human embryonic andfetal death. changes induced by weak, extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields. Eighteen years ago the BMJ published a memorandum on the management of accidents in childhood prepared by the Standing Committee on Accidents in Childhood of the British Paediatric Association.' Recently this committee (now a joint committee of the British Paediatric Association and the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons) surveyed the facilities for children in accident and emergency departments and looked at the part played by paediatricians in their management (report obtainable from the British Paediatric Association, 23 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AZ to 31 October, 5 St Andrew's Place, London NWl 4LE thereafter). In the intervening years the specialty of accident and emergency medicine has developed, and great improvements have been made in facilities and the standard of care. Unfortunately , this new survey has shown that so far as children are concerned there are still many deficiencies. The questionnaire was sent to paediatricians rather than to consultants in accident and emergency medicine, and replies were received relating to 189 hospitals out of the 258 hospitals with large accident and emergency departments. The first deficiency noted was that only 123 of the 189 hospitals kept a record of the number of children attending: one third made no attempt to estimate the demand on their services by children's attendances. The 123 hospitals had a total annual attendance of about one million children, indicating a total of two million in Britain, a figure that agrees reasonably well with other estimates. That is twice the number attending as paediatric outpatients.2 In 63 districts the main paediatric facilities were in a different hospital from the accident and emergency department, and in 23 there were no inpatient facilities of any sort for children. In some instances thG distance between the accident and emergency department and the …