News and Notes
PMC5109057.rst Post Graduate Course in Mental Deficiency, May 31st, June 5tb, 1920. Eighty-two Medical Officers (73 men and 9 women), representing work for defectives in England and Wales, Scotland and America, attended the first Post Graduate Course in Mental Deficiency arranged by the Senate of the University of London in conjunction with the C.A.M.D. The large majority of the students were School Medical Officers, but many Certifying Officers of Local Authorities, Medical Officers of Workhouses and some general practitioners also attended the Course.
Eight morning lectures were given at the University by Dr. Tredgold, Dr. John Thomson, Dr. Langdon Down, Dr. Potts and Mr. Cyril Burt, and three evening lectures on Forms used by School Medical Officers were given at the Royal Sanitary Institute by Dr. F. Shrubsall.
The practical work of each student was planned on individual lines, so that small groups of students, in the afternoons, were given opportunities of attending clinical demonstrations, by experts, of interesting cases of defect, rota and admission examinations at the London County Council Special Schools, and at Special Schools in Hornsey, Willesden and Croydon, and demonstrations at Homes and Institutions for defectives in or near London. Whole day visits were paid to Darenth Industrial Colony, the Royal Eastern Counties Institution,
Colchester, Chalfont Epileptic Colony and Farmfield State Institution, Horley. The Fountains Institution for low-grade Children and the Royal Earlswood Institution were also visited. Many students availed themselves of the opportunity of buying standard works on Mental Deficiency which were displayed outside the lecture room at the University.
The Senate of the University have decided to grant certificates to those students who attended both lectures and demonstrations regularly. These will be issued shortly. ??
An ” overflow ” Course, for those applicants who could not be admitted in May, will be held during the week,October 18th 23rd, 1920. No further aPplications can be entertained for this second Course, but it is hoped that further Courses will be held next year and in future years. Short Course for Teachers of the Mentally Defeetive. ,
The CAMD has just held its eighth Short Course for Teachers of the Mentally Defective at Manchester. The teachers attending were for the most part taking the more advanced course and have had considerable experience in the teaching of the mentally defective. Accommodation was secured at two University Halls of Residence and permission was obtained for the lectures to be given at the University. In addition to these which were on medical Psychological and educational subjects, classes in Physical training, singing games and in various forms of manual work, such as wood work, metal work, basket making and chair caning, varied occupations, were held.
The students visited the Day Special Schools at Manchester, Bolton, Oldham and the Special Class at Stretford, Sandlebridge Colony, Soss Moss Epileptic Home, the Royal Schools for the Deaf, Henshaw’s Blind Asylum, the Crimsworth Schools, Salford Open Air School, the Alice Briggs Home for Delicate Girls and the Swinton and Parkfield Residential Schools for Cripples. They therefore had ample opportunities of seeing schools of many types. These Courses are held at the request of the Board of Education, and grants towards expenses are made to selected students. Birmingham Special Schools After-Care Committee. The above Committee has just presented its report to the Education Com- mittee, the first since 1915, owing to the war. The total number of former Special School children on the books of the Association is 2,282. In addition they also visit all cases, whether ex-special school children or not, who are now under the care of the Local Statutory Com- mittee and are still remaining in their own homes. The number of defectives thus visited in 1919 was 250. The Association receives a grant from the Local Statutory Committee and the Board of Control in respect of this branch of their work.
The Statistical Tables shew that since 1915 126 males and 112 females who were previously in Special Schools have been sent to Institutions. Much useful information is given in these tables under various heads.
The number in employment is larger than ever before recorded, i.e., 950 in 1919, bat attention is drawn to the fact that after the age of 22 the number diminishes relatively as well as actually, shewing that mentally defective persons tend to lose their situations and fail to gain others in adult life. The wages earned vary from 7 / - to ^6 in the case of men, the latter wage being earned by a moulder, and from 6 / - to ?2 10s. in the case of women. The committee feel that the large number in employment is not entirely due to the great demand for juvenile labour, but also to the system of placing from the Special Schools selected children between the ages of 14 and 16 with approved employers, on con- dition that these children return to school for one half-day a week. This sys- tem will cease after the “Appointed Day” for compulsory attendance at Contin- uation Schools. Such schools for mentally defective children are not contem- plated so they will necessarily all be required to attend Special Schools till 16. Attention is drawn to the great difficulty of placing cases owing to the lack of institutional accommodation. A new Residential School however has just been opened at the Guardians’ Colony at Monyhull. It is managed by a joint Committee of the Board of Guardians and the Education Committee, and children are sent there for whom for various reasons satisfactory provision can- not be made in Day Special Schools. Such children who need institutional caire after attaining the age of 16 will it is hoped then be transferred to the adult section of the Colony.
Essex Voluntary Association.
A meeting of Essex and East Ham local visitors was held at the County Council Offices, Finstury Circus, E.C.2, on May 7th, 1920. About 150 persons attended and a good deal of interest was shown in subjects under discussion. The Chairman in her opening address emphasized the increasing usefulness of the work of friendly visitors in assisting not only certified defectives but the very much larger proportion of persons in whose case some degree of mental inability is giving rise to anxiety and may in the future lead to crime. The Chairman outlined a scheme adopted by the Essex County Council by which a mental expert (Dr. T. P. Puddicombe) had recently been appointed to examine and report on puzzling cases for the (1) County Education Committee, (2) Petty Sessional Courts, (3) Local Authority under the Mental Deficiency Act, and (if the grant is forthcoming), cases receiving relief which, under Section 30 (ii) of the Mental Deficiency Act, appear to be outside the statutory duties of the County Committee so far as a medical examination is concerned. The Chairman mentioned that through the assistance of the police, charges of certain crimes specified in the recent Prison Commissioners’ report as those most commonly committed by weak minded persons would be referred to the Associa- tion for enquiry. On the result of such enquiry the iCourt would be in a position to decide whether the facts justify a remand for the purpose of medical examination. It is anticipated that this scheme will be productive of far reaching effects, not only in securing care and control for certifiable defectives, but also in ascertaining the relationship between crime and mental inefficiency. ^
Dr. Helen Boyle, one of the speakers, advocated boarding out defectives single care as a satisfactory method of dealing with defectives. An interesting debate took place on the respective advantages of institution care and otherwise, the opinion of the meeting being generally in favour of institutional care. meeting considered that not only was the difficulty of finding^ suita e er mothers almost insurmountable, but the need for specialised training for the low grade young defectives and the moral danger in regard to the higher tora made special care in an institution indispensable for those whom the parents themselves were unable to control and safeguard.
Dr. F. Douglas Turner gave a very valuable address on various practical aspects of the problem. .
During the afternoon Dr. Emlyn Jones, district School Medical Officer for Essex gave a lantern lecture on defectives which was greatly appreciated. Keen discussion took place throughout the day.
Ipswich Occupation Centre.
This centre which has been started by the Ipswich Voluntary ^ Association has now been open a month, and promises to be a great sucess. It is in care of Mrs. Gummier, who till recently was at the Lilian Greg Centre, King s Cross. The Committee have deviated a little from the original plan, and it is at present being run entirely for uneducable children instead of being open at certain times for higher grade older defectives as well. It is open daily from 9 to 12. There ase 12 children so far on the roll, all of whom attend regularly, and an improve- ment lias been noticed even in the worst cases.
Meanwood Park Colony.
The Meanwood Park estate has been purchased by the Leeds City Council and is now open as a Certified Institution. It consists of 175 acres of park and woodland, well-stocked gardens and fruit trees and a large mansion, called the Hall, farms and cottages. It is at present certified to accommodate 97 patients, &7 children being in the main building, and 10 feeble-minded1 young men in a cottage in the grounds, who are employed in boot repairing, gardening and farmwork. It is the intention of the Council to extend the Institution by building small homes in the Park, using the Hall as the central administrative establishment.
The children in the main building are low-grade defectives, some of whom are also epileptic. All of them, even the lowest grades, receive training under the direction of a qualified Kindergarten teacher, assisted by teacher attendants. They are for the purpose graded into small classes, and the results have been most gratifying. The Colony was formally opened on June 3rd, by Sir William Bryne,
Stourbridge Union
This Institution has now been certified under Section 37 of the Mental Deficiency Act and the Guardians are prepared to take out-county cases. The cost of maintenance will be 24/6 per week. At present the following cases can be taken:?Improvable boys, improvable men, unimprovable men, unimprovable women. About the end of July the Guardians hope to be able to take: ? Improvable girls, improvable women. The Guardians will also take epileptic adults, male and female.
Borderland Home.
The Home reqently opened at Crowborough by the Bast Sussex Voluntary Association has been transferred to St. John’s Home, Kemp Town, Brighton, where there is accommodation for 12 girls. Charge 15/- a week, and outfit. Apply to Miss Scott, County Hall. Lewes.
Hopwell Hall Colony.
The Nottinghamshire Education Committee have taken over the above institution which was certified by both the Board of Education and the Board of Control and was under th,e care of the Nottingham and Notts. Association for the Permanent Care of the Feeble-mindedj. It is to be used as a Residential Special School for Children in the County.
Eugenics Education Society.
The third annual Summer School of Eugenics and Civics will be held at Heme Bay from July 31st to August 14th. Courses of lectures will ibe given on Social Psychology, Heredity in relation to Eugenics, the Teaching of Biology, the Modern Citizen, the Social Application of Eugenics, and there will be discussions in connection with these lectures.
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