The National Council for Mental Hygiene
News and Notes
The President. The Council suffered a grievous loss through the death on active service on August 25th, 1942, of Air-Commodore H.R.H. The Duke of Kent, who had been President of the National Council for Mental Hygiene since 1933.
His Royal Highness’s distinguished support helped to give mental health its rightful position in the eyes of the public, and to emphasize its fundamental importance in the life of the community. Members will recall the occasions on which the Duke of Kent presided at the Council’s biennial Conferences and International Reunions, and the many other ways in which he showed his keen sympathy with and interest in the Council’s work.
His Royal Highness had won the esteem and admiration of the people of this country and of the Empire not only for his distinguished services during the present crisis, but for the deep interest which he took in the social welfare of our people, and we desire respectfully to express our profound sympathy with all the members of the Royal Family in their great sorrow.
Lectures. A number of lectures on Human Problems of Wartime have been given to Rest Centre and other Civil Defence workers in Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and Worcestershire, during recent months, and lectures on Mental Reactions to Air Raids were included in two Training Courses held at Ludlow and Evesham and arranged by the Regional Officer of the National Council of Social Service. The field has been particularly well covered in Lincolnshire, where Rest Centre workers from practically every one of the larger towns have had the opportunity of hearing talks by Dr Lois Munro on practical methods of dealing with cases of nervous manifestations under emergency conditions, and very satisfactory reports have been received as to the great value and help of these.
Lectures on mental health subjects have also been arranged by the Council under the Army Education Scheme for a number of men’s units in various parts of the country and for the A.T.S.
Further lectures in various parts of Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Hampshire have been arranged on behalf of the Committee for Rural Health Education, and with the co-operation of the Regional representatives of the Mental Health Emergency Com- mittee, for meetings of the Mothers’ Union, Towns- women’s Guilds, Women’s Co-operative Guilds, Women’s Institutes and several local groups, including a group of young teachers.
Consideration is being given to the question of arranging group meetings for members of the various allied nations who are at present in this country with a view to interesting them in mental health questions and to exchange information in regard to Mental Health Services generally.
Directory of Out-Patient Clinics. A revised edition of the Directory, which has proved of great value and has been widely utilized, is at present being prepared, and the Council hopes to publish this early in the New Year. Annual Report. The Council’s Annual Report for the period April 1st, 1941, to March 31st, 1942, is now avail- able and copies may be had on application to the Secre- tary at 76 Chandos House, Palmer Street, London, S.W.I. The Report contains a record of several important new developments in the mental health field and of a consid , able extension of its lecture services for which there ” been a great demand.
Central Association for Mental Welfare Social Case Work. During the quarter end^i September 30th, 1942, a total of 817 cases were with (General, 333; Guardianship and Licence, Epileptics, 99; Joint Register of Foster Homes, I.j which once more shows an increase on the previ? quarter.
Educational Work. The Course at University Co Nottingham, held in August at the request of the L?j Education Authority, was attended by 61 teachers whom 41 were from Nottingham City, 6 from ^ County, 6 from Birmingham, and the remainder fr?. Chesterfield, Mansfield and Lincoln. The Course v. under the general direction of Miss Ruth Thomas, the lecturers included several members of the staft j the Nottingham Education Committee. A new featuf^ the curriculum was the introduction of five periods remedial teaching for each student, under the supervis’^ of the Educational Psychologists assisting in the Cotf . The Association was particularly glad to have ^ opportunity of organizing such a Course for a specl Local Authority, and it is hoped that from other afe similar requests may come?particularly from j areas where teachers are working in isolation. ^ beginning in this direction is about to be made with ? organization of a Course in Shropshire as a ” follow-ijP ? activity for teachers who have previously been heir., individually in their schools by one of the Associate Psychologists.
Emergency Homes. The. children at the West?, super-Mare Home which was destroyed by enemy act’ last June, have?after a period in temporary quart,, found for them by the Borough’s Evacuation DeP?. ment?been re-housed in premises secured at ? Haddon, Northants. .
Residential Nursery for Difficult ” Under-Fives “? the request of the Ministry of Health and in co-operat’ with the Church of England Waifs and Strays Society, Association is about to open a special Home for child’ evacuated to Residential War Nurseries who are to be difficult, unstable or maladjusted. A house L been acquired for the purpose by the Ministry in W’ shire (Haybrook House, Pusey) which will accommod^ from 20 to 25 children. A staff has been appointed, includes a specially qualified matron and an experie^., teacher, and the C.A.M.W.s Educational PsycholoS1’ Miss Ruth Thomas (who is in charge of the MeK Health Emergency Committee’s work for children ufl-l five) will visit at regular intervals. ‘ In addition, services of a psychiatrist will be available.
Child Guidance Council
Council Meeting. The Council Meeting was held. June and was followed by a discussion on ” Hostels’ Difficult Children j
. Medical Director. Dr Gordon left England in ^ for service overseas and pending the appointment ^ temporary Medical Director in his absence, Dr HadP , very kindly served as Interim Medical Director, und taking the chairmanship of the July Conference, giving much time and consideration to the amalgamat’1 h Council.
Proposals which have been before te ^ as Tem- September, Dr Alan Maberly was appo Porary Medical Director (part-time). of child Conference. A Conference f?.r Psychologists and Guidance Clinic teams (Psychiatrists, function, . Psychiatric Social Workers) to discus teams, was , training and status of members ot tn rt being held on July 18th in London A ?ep ble from the Prepared for publication and will be o Council’s offices in due course. nueen has given Northern Ireland. Her Majesty Britain ” Fund, sum of ?2,000 from the “Bundles for e cUnic in for the establishment of a Child rujidren, Belfast, , connection with the Hospital for Sick ? d from an and a further gift of ?1,000 has been rece tQ gQ anonymous source. Dr Doris Odium ^ Guidance to Belfast to advise on the formation o ^ ^ie child Council for Northern Ireland and also ^ a publlC Guidance Clinic. She gave an adores ^ Counties meeting at which representatives ot a ‘ f Abercorn Were present, and at which the Ducnesj Northern Proposed that a Child Guidance Council cQme int0 Ireland should be established. This ‘ - ai experience, heing. Miss Keir, a psychologist with . undertake some bas visited Belfast and hopes to be ab -tb the Child of the pioneer work in connectio Guidance Clinic. T function with the Clinics and Juvenile Courts. Jn c pnauiry into the Home Office the Council made an l enq. _ between relationship which exists in the van Interesting Child Guidance Clinics and Juvenile C V tbe enquiry information was received, and the res Report of the have been noted in the 21st Annual Repo Magistrates’ Association (1941-42). . a compre- Bibliography of Child Psychology. *n?ouncil which hensive reading list published by th been includes a 1941 Supplement. Fr0?Uable for Socia Published separately a list of books . Educational Workers, and one for students from the Psychology. These can all be obtained .
Council’s offices at the following prices. 1?_ 6d. Complete Bibliography ? ? ” ‘6d- Reading List for Social Workers ?? a| Reading List for Students of Educat 2d. Psychology .. . ? ? ? ? ? 79 BuCkingham The address of the Council is now- ‘ vict0ria palace Road, London, S.W.I. Telephone Mental Health Emergency Committee ^ Hostel Hostel Workers’ Course. A third Course 19th to s was held in Oxford from Septe nded by 25th, 1942. The Course, which was ^ Thomas fp^nty”six students, was directed by , enthusiastic (Educational Psychologist, C.A.M-W.) ana appreciation was expressed as to its v ? ^ Qf the Children under Five. Requests ?r be received, Committee’s Nursery Advisers contl?f’int further has been found necessary to app hM tbe orkers (made financially possible disposal by the Queens gift from money placed at her reported in our t^-A. ” Bundles for Britain fund reP fiUing a last issue). That this Advisory and more sperately urgent need is becomi S . -s aimost parent and the field for useful acti y worker unlimited, it is satisfactory to rec?.fhafbeen retained hvt0 the Devon County Council has Qiher areas vl hat.Authority on a permanent ? a period of sued include Kirigston-on-Thames ( Chelmsford, Slx months), Gloucestershire, Grantham, ^ and various districts in Lancashire and in the Home Counties.
Youth Work. Another activity upon which it has been possible to embark as the result of the Queen’s gift, is that of investigating the need of Youth Organizations for help in dealing with mental health problems. A special worker has been appointed for this purpose and from the result of her preliminary enquiries, it is apparent that such a need does exist, particularly for talks and lectures to Youth Leaders. A syllabus has been drawn up under the direction of Miss L. G. Fildes, and arrange- ments for lectures are now being made. A special Committee consisting of members of the main Com- mittee together with Dr Macalister Brew (National Association of Girls’ Clubs), Mr. Randall Keane (National Association of Boys’ Clubs), Miss Dora Morton (Y.W.C.A.) and Mr. Basil Henriques, J.P., is directing the work.
Regional Work. Work in two new Regions has lately been inaugurated, viz. in Region 9, with Miss Shaw (c/o Birmingham Settlement, 318 Summer Lane, Birming- ham, 19) as Regional Representative, and in Region 12 where Miss Robina Addis (84 London Road, Tunbridge Wells) is working as Regional Representative. With the resignation of Miss Dyson from Region 3, this area is for the time being without a Representative, but a loan worker has been lent, at the request of the Ministry of Health, for a limited period. In two Regions (9 and 10) special consideration is being given to the need for mental health work amongst Industrial Workers, particularly those in Hostels.
Canadian Social Workers. Of seventeen Social Workers from Canada who recently arrived in this country, two have been allocated to the Committee and after some preliminary experience in Regions 2 and 10, both are taking up salaried appointments in Mental Health work, for which they are specially qualified. ” New World ” Hostel for Difficult Boys As announced in our last issue, a generous gift from the English-Speaking Union, made available through the kindness of Mrs. Sholto Smith, a Canadian citizen, enabled the Joint Register of Foster Homes for Nervous, Difficult and Retarded Children, to consider?in co-operation with the Department of Psychological Medicine, Guy’s Hospital?a scheme for providing a Home where children with special difficulties can be given skilled observation and treatment.
We are glad to be able to announce that premises have now been acquired at 66 Ashburton Road, Addiscombe, Croydon, which will be opened, under the.name of the ” New World Hostel “, as soon as the necessary repairs, etc., have been completed.
A Matron with good experience of handling difficult children has been engaged, and arrangements will be made for treatment at the Guy’s Hospital Child Guidance Clinic. The inclusive weekly charge per head is at present fixed at 33s., and not more than twelve children will be taken. Applications should be sent to the Secretary, Joint Register of Foster Homes, 24 Buckingham Palace Road, London, S.W.I. It should be noted that boys only, between 5 and 11, are eligible for admission. Mental Defectives in the Army. A Leeds Report An interesting report has been received from Leeds Mental Health Services Committee who have dealt with some 400 cases coming within the prescribed age groups for exemption from registration for military services by reason of their being on licence from
Institutions, under Guardianship or under Statutory Supervision. Inevitably, however, certain defectives have registered or enlisted voluntarily without their condition being disclosed, and where this has been detected later, the Authorities have referred to the Mental Health Services Department.
In some cases it has been recommended that they remain in the Army, and at the present time, twenty-three are serving in this country or overseas and doing well. In addition two have been killed and one is a prisoner of war. On application from the Department, ten have been discharged, and eight others have been discharged for other reasons. A certain number of applications for discharge have been received from the defectives them- selves who complained that they could not look after their equipment or manage the military routine. In other cases, parents have applied for the return of sons who could not read or write and with whom consequently they were losing touch.
The Committee feel that it can be stated with a con- siderable degree of confidence, that Leeds defectives are not allowed to remain in the Army unless there is reasonable ground to believe that they can do so successfully.
” Lord ” Memorial Essay Competition This Annual Essay Competition, which is administered by the National Council for Mental Hygiene, is open to certificated male and female mental nurses of the rank of staff, charge or chief charge, in Mental Hospitals in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. A prize of ?3 3s. and a medal is offered for the best essay submitted, and the title chosen for this year is ” Which Reform in Mental Nursing would you put first in Post-War Reconstruction, and why ? “
Essays are limited to approximately 2,000 words, and the latest date for the reception of these is January 30th, 1943. Further particulars may be had on application to the Secretary, The National Council for Mental Hygiene, 76-77 Chandos House, Palmer Street, London, S.W.I.
A Helper of the Handicapped
The House of Help, Lillie Road, Fulham (London), founded by Miss B. C. Arnould, who died last June, was a forerunner of the modern ” Occupation Centre ” for defective children, and her name should ever be remembered in this connection. Many years before the responsibility for the training of the physically or mentally defective was laid as a duty upon Local Authorities, Miss Arnould responded to the needs of those in her own neighbourhood, and, through classes at her home, she occupied and taught them, and brought into their lives the happiness and interest which hitherto it had been no one’s concern to supply.
With the aid of a Committee of supporters and friends, the work developed, under the name of the Employment ,w Association for the Defective (West London), and ? House grew into a centre for the helping of the cripP’ the blind, and the mentally handicapped. At the ^ of Miss Arnould’s death there were some 200 cases o* j, ages on the books, and although it is not possible carry on the work without her personal direction ^ inspiration, the Committee are making arrangement, transfer these poor people to appropriate bodies (sU,[ as the L.C.C. Mental Health Department) for frien care and visiting.
Board of Control
We are asked to announce that as Professor Sir Artfl J. Hall, M.D., D.Sc., F.R.C.P., has resigned the pos Honorary Consultant Physician at Rampton Institution, near Retford, Nottinghamshire, the Board j Control, with the approval of the Minister of H^1, have appointed Mr. C. Gray Imrie, M.D., F.R.C.P’” his successor.
Training the Low-grade Defective
In the Vineland Training School Bulletin for Octo^; there is an interesting contribution describing methods of training low-grade defectives which are & successfully employed in certain American institution At the Woodbine (New Jersey) Colony for Fe^ Minded Males roller skating has been introduced surprisingly good results. In a unit of 120 low-g^l, boys between the ages of 5 and 15, we are told, 80 vn been taught to be ” self-sufficient on skates”> ^ not one of the 70 sustained even a minor injury dufj the process of learning. This immunity from accidff it is suggested, may be due to the fact that the menta’( of the children was so low that they failed to Perce($’ the possibility of danger, and hence avoided themusc11 tension induced by fear. f
In the writer’s own institution (Southbury, ^ necticut), he reports that bulky play equipment proved particularly popular?e.g. large rubber carts made from discarded farm wagons, sliding b?3c; and swings. The children learn to walk by holding , to a rope extending from the front to the rear of the lj. ( and up and down the halls and dayrooms they pu’j weighted block covered with felt material with attached. Ostensibly this is for the purpose of polisr1’ the floors, but its importance lies in its ” energy value? J
Referring to the widespread use of parole, the vvj. stresses the need for a ” carry-over of training ” n> the institution to the home, a process which invo’, some instruction being given to the parents. administrators utilize, he says, their parent contacts modify the specific training programme used f?f, particular child, and some superintendents encouf^ parents to pay observation visits for the purpose watching the ordinary training routine regarded & sort of ” pre-home ” training.
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