Library Collections: Document: Full Text

Dr. Downing. Mr. President, referring to borderline cases, I have a child with respect to whom it is a question whether he is feeble-minded or not. Because of an accident it was thought best to have an X-Ray picture taken of his hand. The examination showed the too early ossification the carpal bones. In hunting over the literature I found that two men in New York had published a report on defective children, mostly at Randall's Island, where they found the carpal bones and hand bones were not alike in their ossification. I find in every case so far of my own, and I have taken children from two and a half to twelve years, this same condition of the carpal and hand bones.

Dr. Rogers: As to the advisability of placing out feeble-minded children, there can, I think, be no question concerning the wise course to pursue in regard to all who are definitely defective mentally, and we should be careful not to confuse the issue. The very conditions that render the existence of institutions for feeble-minded necessary, as custodial homes in the broad general sense, contraindicate the probability of placing out mental defectives, successfully. Of course, if now and then a child that is not mentally defective is committed or admitted to an institution, even though such a child is retarded in mental growth from some remedial cause, such a child should have a home in a good family as soon as one can be found for him. Again, a high grade moron boy of acquired mental defect, might be a very safe case to place out in a good family, though the good families that are willing to take such a person, give him a good home, be responsible for his keep, health, comfort, and conduct for what he can earn the year around, are in our north-west, at least, very rarely found.

We have occasionally found such a family, though in most instances even then the arrangements with them has not been of long duration. The boy has generally become unmanageable or has resented what he deemed to be insufficient compensation for services rendered and has returned to the institution or drifted into a more or less precarious method of securing a livelihood. We have a few boys in Minnesota who have gone out and are doing well, but the number is small, comparatively.

We have never deliberately placed out but two girls, both under exceptionally good circumstances and with former teachers. In one case the temperament of the girl and the very close home influence have combined to secure to her a happy and contented life. In the other case, the temperament and personal attractiveness of the girl and the indiscreet freedom permitted, resulted in the usual fall. Except as first stated, I have always discouraged the sending out of girls, but some have gone out against my judgment and their careers have not been satisfactory.

Dr. Keating: Before Dr. Fernald closes the discussion, I would like to revert to one point and that is the education of the public. The teachers in Baltimore, through the influence of Dr. Huey have been giving lectures to the children on the effects of feeblemindedness. We are familiar with the educational talks about the effects of tuberculosis and alcoholism but there has been nothing said about the nature of feeble-mindedness and the effect on the offspring. The teachings of these teachers are having a splendid effect, and we have been able to retain several children in the institution through the efforts of the teachers. I can't agree with Dr. Bernstein that it would take too long to wait for the effect of educational work. The children of today will be the heads of families tomorrow and I think it pays to educate the coming generation in regard to these very things. I hope the superintendents will never lose an opportunity to tell teachers about the effect of feeble-mindedness. Tell it to the children also and explain it to them in an explicit way, and they will think about it and it will bear abundant fruit.

Dr. Bernstein: I would like to know the age of those children you talked to.

Dr. Keating: The children I have spoken to are from fourteen to sixteen years of age.

Dr. Fernald: Mr. Chairman, I am afraid that my paper was not thoroughly understood because I tried to emphasize the importance of two points. First, that education in the broadest sense must be our chief weapon. We must educate the lawmaker; we must educate the judges, the doctors, the teachers. We must educate the children who go to the high school, and college, and normal school, and the medical student. We can thus leaven the population and they will spread the information to the rest of the public who are capable of being educated. We may deal with the other half of the community by our segregation and our sterilization propositions, or by other means. We all understand that laws on our statute books providing for the segregation and sterilization of the defective will be of no value unless the public is educated to demand an enforcement of them. The states in the Union which are successfully handling this matter, are the states where an intelligent campaign of education has been carried on for more than a generation.