News and Notes
Board of Control, Sixth Annual Report (1919) ——————————————-This report, which has just been issued, states that the total number of mentally defective persons under care during 1919 was 10,129, as compared with S626 in the previous year. Attention is drawn to the incomplete way in which, *n many areas, the duty of ascertainment of defectives subject to te dealt with under the Mental Deficiency Act is carried out, which has led to great lack of uniformity in the figures sent in to the Board by the different Local Authorities.
In County Boroughs these range from 2.43 Pcr thousand of the population in the returns of one Authority to nil in those of another, while the figures supplied by County Councils vary from 3.55 per thousand to less than .25 Owing to these varying figures it is impossible to give any but the roughest estimate of the number for whom provision will be necessary, but the Board estimate that Local Authorities who are considering provision for defectives might safely estimate that accommodation will be needed in the near future for at least 1 per 1000 of the population. The Board, on the ground of economy and (Hective classification and organisation, urge the importance of cooperation between different Local Authorities and Local Kducation Authorities, in the provision of Institutions. They point out the great importance, not yet sufficiently realised of providing suitable training and teaching, even for low-grade defectives, in institutions.
This report lays stress on the great use Local Voluntary issociations have been to the Local Authority in the areas in which they have been formed, especially as regards ascertainment and supervision of defectives. The Board urge Local Authorities in areas where little or nothing has been done in this direction to take steps for the formation of an Association to assist them in carrying out these duties.
The Board has developed its work considerably in connection with State Institutions for defectives of criminal and vicious propensities. It has acquired Rampton Criminal Lunatic Asylum which is being converted’ into a State Institution with accommodation for 220 men and 70 women. With some additional buildings for women there will be sufficient provision for defectives of this type for some years to come. Warwick and Moss Side Institutions have therefore been closed and Farmfield is being retained for the present for the less troublesome type of female defective committed to a State Institution.
Eight new Certified Institutions were established bringing the total to fiftynine, and several schemes for the provision of accommodation likely to mature in the near future were considered by the Board during the year. Of the 1,358 new admissions to Certified Institutions, 445 were idiots or imbeciles, 8,829 feeble-minded and 83 moral imbeciles.
Seventeen Poor Law Institutions were approved by the Board under Section 37 of the Mental Deficiency Act, making 115 in all.
The Board in this Report draws attention to the large number of mental defectives still not certified who are remaining in workhouses and point out the great danger of feeble-minded girls and women taking their discharge from Poor Law Institutions. The initial difficulty tliey attribute to the fact that many Medical Officers fail to recognise cases of mental defect, or refuse to certify.
They urge the importance of every Poor Law Medical Officer receiving some training in diagnosis and having some experience of mental defect. (In connection with this, some Poor Law Medical Officers have
taken advantage of the Short Courses for Medical Officers arranged by the Central Association for the Care of the Mentally Defective in conjunction with the University of London).
They point out that though provision under Section 37 was originally intended as a purely temporary measure it is likely to continue for some time, owing to the expense and difficulty of building Institutions. Boards of Guardians are therefore urged to make this provison as good as possible to organise games and recreation and to provide industrial and farm training. Instances are ,given as to where this has been done most successfully.
Copies of this report (price 1/-) can be obtained from H.M. Stationery Office. Ministry of Health, Advisory Committee for the Blind, The above Committee has issued its second Annual Report to March 31st, 1920.
The total number of blind persons in England and Wales in the Register is 30.7^5. as compared with 25,840 on the previous year, the increase being accounted for by more complete records. Of these 1,246 are reported as being also mentally defective?of whom 201 arc of school age,
The Report draws attention to the urgent need of provision for the mentally defective blind, which has been impressed on the Committee by all its Local Advisory Committees.
Detailed tables are attached to the report giving the classification of blind persons according to age, occupation, mental and physical defects.
Annual Report of the C.A.M.D , 1919-20. ————————————-The Annual Report of the C.A.M.D. giving an account of the work of the Association from January?December, 1919, and containing the Annual Accounts to March, 1920, will shortly be published and will be on sale at the Conference in November. Publication is always delayed owing to the fact that reports received from the Local Associations have to be included’ in the C.A.M.D. report.
The following summary of the report, may be of interest, and will give some idea of the numerous activities of the Association.
1. New Local Associations were formed in Ipswich, Bath, Lincoln, Luton and Nottingham and the Willesden Association was re-organised. Arrangements were made to form the following Associations early in 1920?three in Lancashire (North, Central and South-East), Suffolk and Staffordshire and Portsmouth.
———————————————————-Note. These Associations are now all organised and working. ———————————————————2. The C.A.M.D. held in 1919-20.
(a) A Short Course for Teachers at King’s College, London, attended by 63 teachers.
(b) A Short Course for Teachers at Dudley Training College (the second Birmingham Course) attended by 41 teachers.
A Short Course for Secretaries of Local Associations at King’s College, London, attended by 16 Secretaries.
(d) A Course of 10 public Lectures in Mental Deficiency at the London School of Economics, from January?April, 1919.
Short Courses for Local Voluntary Visitors in Chester and Wiltshire.
(f) A Conference at Church House, Westminster, in November, 1919, attended Iby over 1,000 delegates from Public Authorities and Social Organisations concerned with the administration of the Mental Deficiency Act.
3- The casework at the Central Office increased; 618 cases of defect were actually referred to and dealt with by the C.A.M.D. The number of cases referred to Local Associations and registered at the C.A.M.D. has not yet been received; it is estimated that the number will not b^ far short of 15,000. The total number of cases dealt with by the C.A.M.D. and its branches, and registered at the Central Office is 18,448.
4- Arrangements were made with the Ministry of Health (.Advisory Committee of the Blind) for co-operation with Societies for the Blind and Societies for the Care of Defectives.
5- Six social workers were trained at the Central Office for about three months each, and some five or six have come from other Associations for a shorter period.
6. Two Students have taken Part I. of the Training Course at a Certified Institution for Defectives.
7- A quarterly journal, ” Studies in Mental Inefficiency ” has been started, and there are already 850 subscribers.
The Board of Control, recognising the value of the work done by the Association, asked the; Treasury for a giant of ?2,000 for the year ending March, 1921. There application has been granted.
Conference on Mental Deficiency, November 25th, 26th and 27tit 1920. The Council of the C.A.M.D. are co-operating with the National Special Schools Union in organising an important Conference on Mental Deficiency, to be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning, November 25th, 26th and 27th, in the Large Hall, Church House, Westminster.
The Rt. Hon. H. A. L. Fisher, President of the Board of Education, will address the opening session. The Programme will be as follows:?
Thursday. Chairman: Mr. Leslie Scott, K.C., M.P.
Opening Address by the Rt. Hon. II. A. L. Fisher.
2. Paper. The Relation of Day and Residential Special Schools to Certified Institutions for Defectives. Mrs. Hume Pinsent, Commissioner, Board of Control.
Discussion opened by Sir Harcourt Clare, Lancashire Asylums Board, Councillor Martineau, Birmingham Education Committee, and Mr. F. G. Harris, Head Teacher, Royal Eastern Counties Institution, Colchester. Paper. The place of the Medical Officer, the Psychologist and the Teacher in the Education and Certification, of the School Child. By Mr. Frank Roscoe, Secretary, Teachers’ Registration Council.
Discussion, opened by Dr Robert Hughes, Stoke-on-Trent, and Mr. J. Hudson, Hon. Secretary, N.S.S.U. Friday. Chairman: Sir W. P. Byrne, ICC.V.O., C.B. Chairman, Board of Control.
Opening Address by Chairman. Some problems of Institution Accommodation.
2. Papers. The Case for the Large Mixed Institution. Dr A. Rotherhain, Medical Commissioner, Board of Control. Small Institutions for Special Classes of Cases. Discussion.
3. Paper. The Provision made by Poor-Law Guardians for the Mentally Defective. The Very Rev. Canon Sprankling, Chairman, Metropolitan Asylums Board.
Discussion opened by Mrs. Cooke Hurle, Somerset Mental Deficiency Committee, and Mr. L. W. Greenhalgh, Clerk to the Ipswich Guardians. Saturday. Chairman, Dr A. E. Eichholz, Chief Medical Inspector, Board of Education.
Opening Address by Chairman.
2. Paper. Future Developments, under the Education Act, 1918, in the Education of Physically Defective Children. Miss Collard, Superintendent, L.C.C. Special Schools.
3. Discussion opened by Miss Lockwood, Head Teacher, College Lane P.D. School, Homerton.
The papers will be printed beforehand and circulated to those who wish to have them,.
It is hoped that everyone interested in the care of the mentally defective will make an effort to attend the Conference. A full report will be published at a cost of 2,/- per copy, obtainable from the C.A.M.D. Office.
Further details and tickets may be obtained from Miss Evelyn Fox, C.A.M.D., Queen Anne’s Chambers, Tothill Street, S.W.i.
University of London. Post Graduate Course in Mental Deficiency. So many applicants for the May-June Post Graduate Course, arranged by the C.A.M.D. on behalf of London University, had to be refused on account of lack of room, that an ” overflow ” course has been arranged for the week beginning October iSth, 1920. Sixty-six students will attend, and1 110 further applications can be entertained.
Ten lectures will be given at the University of London, by Dr A. F. Tredgold, Mr. Cyril Burt, Dr Shrubsall, Dr W. A. Potts, and Dr Meredith Young. Chemical demonstrations will be given and the students will visit Homes and Institutions and attend rota and admission examinations at L.C.C. Special Schools.
Portsmouth Association for the Care of the Mentally Defective. The Association, which was formed at the beginning of this year, opened, on September 2nd, an Occupation Centre for children under sixteen who are not attending school, and for oilder girls who are living at home and need occupation and instruction in needlework, etc.
Any defectives belonging to these two classes are eligible for admission, provided they are not subject to fits and have no characteristics or habits which make them unfit to associate with others. The Centre is open two afternoons a week and a room has been provided, rent free, at St. Peter’s Institute, the Association paying for cleaning and lighting only. They have been fortunate enough to secure the voluntary services of a certificated kindergarten mistress.
The number attending at present is twelve, of whom five are over sixteen. These join in some of the work with the younger children. The attendance so far has been most regular and the children show great keenness. Simple lessons on kindergarten lines are given in reading, writing and arithmetic, and in handwork, such as carpentry, raffia-work and sewing.
The Local Committee of the Grand Fleet Fund have made a grant to the Association on behalf of the children of Seamen and! Marines attending the Centre.
Royal Eastern Counties Institution Colchester, ———————————————This Institution has just opened at East Hill House, Colchester, a branch school for sixty boys under sixteen. It is for educable cases. Boys will be received under both the Mental Deficiency and Education Acts. It will be run on the same lines as the branch opened last year for girls of a similar class, that |s, as a residential special school, and special instruction will be given in garden? ing, in addition to the ordinary handwork and school subjects.
This additional accommodation brings the total number of beds belonging to the Institution up to 730, the whole of which have been provided by charitable contributions. Only patients from the four Eastern Counties are received.
Disclaimer
The historical material in this project falls into one of three categories for clearances and permissions:
Material currently under copyright, made available with a Creative Commons license chosen by the publisher.
Material that is in the public domain
Material identified by the Welcome Trust as an Orphan Work, made available with a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
While we are in the process of adding metadata to the articles, please check the article at its original source for specific copyrights.