MENTAL DEFECTIVES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18121, 10 July 1924, Page 14

MENTAL DEFECTIVES.

ENQUIRY IN CHRISTCHURCH

. The Committee of Enquiry appointed to. investigate matters connected with the treatment of the feeble-mind-ed, and sexual offenders began its sitting in Christchnrch yesterday. The chairman, the Hon. W. H.;Triggs, M2j.C n presided, and other members of the committee' present were Dr. Ada faterson (Director of. the Division of. School Hygiene), Dr. Truby King (Director of Child Welfare), Mr C. E. Matthews (Controller-General of Prisons and Under-Secretary of and Mr J. Beck (Officer in Charge of Industrial and Special Schools). Chairman's Remarks. In" opening, the chairman said that the members of the committee had looked'forward to the sitting in Christchurch, because the subject of the enquiry. had- been given a great deal of -consideration in this district. It was . largely owing to the action of the North Canterbury Hospital Board that the enquiry was being held. The Board had given a great deal of consideration to the subject, making some enquiries on its own account, and the recommendations which it had made would be taken into consideration by the. Commission when it was framing its report. He was sorry that Dr. P. C. Fenwick was absent from Christehurch, and that they .would not be able to obtain his evidence. -It had been decided .to make the proceedings of the committee open to the Press and the'public, because there was a good deal of popular ignorance, and it was hoped that the investigations of the committee would have the result of enlightening .the- people. They were indebted to the Press of the Dominion for. the fullness and "accuracy ' of its ' . < 1 Segregation Recommended. -/The' ■ first. witness: was Dr. P. V. who said that the most . important - point was to prevent the ' from: reproducing .. their kind; In his opinion the only logical "Way to effect that was to place them in segregation. That should ■ be done ■ t>nly 'with' great -care by a- tribunal' of medical men. Having so decided, the ■ segregation should be absolute until such time,, if eVer, the tribunal decided they' should be set aT liberty. The; ' greatest care should be taken to guard against harsh treatment of patients in segregation areas, and apportion of the supervising staff should "be trained -to , instruct , the patients along, any lines in which their * mentality could be ' developed. ' f Dr." Bevan-Brown' agreed that medi--eal'men were ;reiixotant to sign an order committing ' some classes of '-feebleminded, as -distinct from idiots, to an iilsfitution. - It was often a matter ,of sentiment, the relatives n6t liking to part-with them. - , Against Sterilisation. , \On ; the,broad subjeet of sterilisation, "generally," -said-' Dr. Bevan-Brown, he did "not think it was-wise, andit would bakery.hard to apply, especially in %' • country like this. He thought It ■ sHould 'be , Even"'§ cases int which -defective had had several- children, they should be;"still segregated. Not all types . would rei produce mental' deficiency in, thq , third , generation twhen-the : second generation ; were 'normal. A place for the detention . of/sexual,.offenders was needed in this , country and country. Ho ; thought it very., unfortunate that people suffering symptoms of disease sWnld'ap'pear,in'; the dock, and be sen- - teheed io gaol.:// They should be treat ; not offenders, and sent to hospital, -hot* to gaol. They shoul 1 iiqt/be. sent 'to a prison cell and left ' there.' - • • ; •;

' /To -Mr Beek: He' thought sterilisa--1 tHravof, would be- extremely dangerous. . 'He did not advocate such : . tiejitment. The patients should go into a.: special border-line hospital. > iT6VDj". P-aterson: There- was. not > distinct line between feeble-minded : •, It was a relative matter. In- deciding what clas?. should . b,e segregated, the first-point for the tribunal ■ to consider was Whether the person was a,fit;person to reproduce^his- kind,'and the*.second . ground of consideration stiould be whether the person was a danger ■ to, the. community. ; Mr. Matthews: Why do yon not approve of sterilisation of those proved unfit-for propagation? • (• Dr.. Bevan-Brown: It is not a scientific objection,-but a sentimental one. I 'don't think public opinion would approve. . , - i: Mr ; -Matthews: , That Is only your ■ personal opinion?—Yqp. , Candidly, I disagree s * yrith you, but that, agiiin, is only an expression of personal opinion. Dr. Bbvan-Brown said that he dis- » libed.the: idea of sterilisation.. It was, all,; mutilhtion. Though it was a Eiinor operation, there would be h ' certain -"amount* of-.risk. . . Mr Matthews said that enquiries from America .showed' the operation

waa not dangerous.' : ' ■ . . , . "The-"chairman: Would you distinguish * betvi,'een"cases 'in:'whicli -bad liabits had been acquired ! and cases which ..owed ; their '' misfortune to : hereditary inflndnce?- '' Witness ;said that lie thought that

practically,' all ■ cases of perversion were doe" to hereditary development rather than tho 'acquisition of habits. He •thought psychb-therapy in its broad . . would; be of> definite value. " .'To Mr 'Matthews:. Where a man had offended-against the law he was bound .to jgo :befote the court, but he should go before a Bkilled tribunal for. investji gaiio>h. If it were found that he was . wholly responsible for his act he would be' then'treated as a prisoner. ■ y Prisons Medical Officer. Dr. C. 'L.' Nedwill, Medical Officer of • prisons; stud .that in his opinion all •children entering the Beceiving .Home - shoukk.'be examined by an expert for 'their intelligence. The childron should be trained to work and should be educated At the age of-16 years, the normal cases could be placed out to earn • - their own livings. Retarded and temperamental cases should go to an industrial home, such as the Borstal Institute. Mentally deficient cases should be 3f«pt under restraint. When it was considered that there were more than 200 eafees at Mount Magdala, ail deficient • in intellect, and when it was seen what • those inmates could do, it was reasonable to expect good results in on institute :on the Borstal lines. The sooner those .cases, were diagnosed and treated in the less would be seen of the, degenerate. Many of these patients-might b'e put to lead useful lives after thechanged life. He liad found that a large majority of young girls admitted to prisons were i of low moral character, owing to bad ■family influence. : There were at present It sexual offenders at Paparua. Of these 13 were born in New Zealand, two in England, one in Wales, and one in 'Tasinania. The average age was 42 years;-60 per cent, were married with . ; an average of five children. The eldest - the youngeat'23. < . Surreal. measures -were not likely -to ' alter the. mentality, continuedthe wit- ' -ness. One cairn operated upon after discharge from prison, had been pv readmitted for a similar offence after ; a' period of eight months.

had hqard that this case had made good progress tinder, treatment / by"* a "therapeutist since his discharge from, prison. "In- my opinion, there is urgent need for' an institution for ijorder-line cases with specially trained, physicians in psycho-analysis . ajid allied treatment. Neurosis" ia' associated- frequently--, witn feeble : inindedness and is curable. All mpntally defective cases . and sexual perverts should t>e .segregated. ■ ihe parents axe the : proper ones to teachvtne sex-question to'their children. To,Mr 'Matthews: Sterilisation, would effect prevention of propagation bur. would not stop indecent acts. It would be better to.segregate than to operate. There was a decided risk, in minor operations upon females. Mr Matthewß said that he was more interested in the eugenical bearing of the question than the effect upon the immediate individual. Dr. Nedwill: , That is my personal opinion too, but - you must deal: with it brpadly.; " The- chairman: I cannot commit tne Commission to Mr Matthew's opinion. National Council of Women. Miss E. Cardale, _on behalf of_ the National Council of Women, submitted evidence covering various classes ot mental deficiency and_ sexual perversion, under the following headings: Class I—Those irresponsible for their own behaviour, i.e., too weak mentally and morallv to realise good and evil. Class 2—Those who are immoral, i.e., without conception of right or wring. Class ' 3—Those over-sexed who are of attractive appearance and are therefore a danger to men of a better type than those who will consort with women of undoubted feeble minds. i Class 4—Those of low_ mental or moral character married injudiciously and unable 'to give the children in their care the right and environment to develop true- citizenship in them.

Class s—Women of immoral character; the children in those eases were definitely handicapped by growing up in a bad atmosphere. . Irf a young country like New Zealand, continued Witness, it should be possible to segregate all feoble-minded. training them ,under good conditions to self-support, and to .stamp out the evil to.a great extent. Many feeble-minded children were morally' sound, sweet in disposition, and with no unhealthy sex instincts. Th.ey should not come in contact, with those who had a .bad moral history. The National Council of Women considered that t'on into classes and" institutions, = according .to moral .character, was essential 'to the care of the feeble-minded. Witness said that-she would like to see • mental defectives dealt with by a Board .and .not have to appear before a Magistrate to bo committed to a home. B.M.A. Representative. ; Dr.'A. C. Thom&n, representing the British Medical Association, said that there was-no evidence'to - go upon in regard to sterilisation. One case of which he knew did. not result in any improvement "of the mental condition, and it-\vas a question whether they would be justified in risking making the mental condition worse.- The operation he referred to was the major operation. In regard to cases of recurrent; insanity, he did not think sterilisation should be made ;a condition of their release from a mental hospital. With regard to the sexual pervert, he did not agree with the. public -trials, imprisonment, and flogging that those people were sometimes subjected ' toJ ' They should be segregated, for life-if necessaiy. To Dr. Paterson: Witness had no theory as to the number of people requiring segregation. , Mr Matthews: -Probably ,10,000. Witnesses who have given evidence Have' recommended segregation, - but they have not taken into consideration the fact. that it would mean keeping probably 10,000 people in permanent segregation, which is not practicable. ( Dr. Thomson: I don't consider it is practicable .to sterilise 10,000 people, either.

Mr Matthews: Well, there are varying opinions aibout that. ■ • To the chairman: He agreed'if venereal disease could be wholly or partially stamped out'the "number of defectives would be reduced. Segregation would not be necessary in' epileptic cases where they could be.looked after in their own homes. Treatment and; Probation. The Sev. P. Bevell, secretary to the Prison Gate Mission and social worker, gave two- instances of improvement;being made in sexual perverts by admitting them to probation, placing them under'control of probation officers, with physical exercise and regular visits to a doctor. Mr, Bevell said that in gaol those cases did not get an opportunity to. c6nquer their habits owing to the early lock-up hours and the long hours without company of any kind. Cases which did not respond to treatment should be segregated. Mir Matthews said that he would like to point out that the younger type of offenders were sent to Invercargill, where they received exercise, drill, and so on. He agreed that there was need for a special institution for older men. Under a general prison system they could not provide for such cases. For serious classes of. offenders the supervision under probation would not bo of much , value. Mr Bevell also put in a letter recommending that the age for admitting young people to special schools be raised from 16 years to 18 years. That would mean that girls between 16 and 18 years, the "dangerous" age, would be under control. At present a girl over 16 years could consort with undesirable companions against tho will of her parents.. Mr Beck said, that tho Department had had this matter under consideration for flvo or six years, and a Bill was now in course- of preparation which, would provide that young people should bo dealt with by a Children's Court, instead of the Magistrate's Court, up to 1 the age of 18 years. Under this legisj lation a person could be committed to a special school up to the- age of 18 years. Social Worker's Evidence. ' Mrs A. E. Herbert, a member of. the North Canterbury Hospital Board and a well-known social worker, gave evidence, supplying details of a number of cases of mentally deficient and oversexed' girls. One girl, who had had a number of illegitimate children, "had pleaded for an operation, an.d that request had been granted. A man who had a bad family history had been operated ypon, and since he had greatly improved in physique. She thought that it was necessary to have a place to treat such girls.. Such a place could bo made self-supporting, for most of the girls would work. , The chairman: Such an institution would result in an ultimate saving to tiie State? Mrs Herbert: Yes; it would save a second and third generation of descendants. •' The chairman: It would be also valuable .on humanitarian grounds, saving misery and suffering?— Yes. To Dr. Truby l£iiig: The man who had ;been operated upon had undergone a major operation. The girl referred to had undergone a minor operation about eighteen months.ago. Since then she had; been happier and steadier, giving great satisfaction to her employer. Th 9 girls were much more contented in institutions than they were living under the conditions of their own homes. ( .. Outside Influence Bequired. Miss A. M. Hunt, matron of the Addington Beformatory for Women, recommended cottage- Homes in each centre for mentally defective children, and the training, of the inmates in such occupations as poultry farming, sewing, etc. She was of the opinioii that many of such cases would turn out decent eiti-

zens. .There were some types of - ojder girl offenders who -needed -segregation for life under suitable conditions. Witness believed that most cases could bo made into good citizens if. taken in hand early enough. She believed that special homes should be in the vicinity of largo centres, and not in remote .parts of the country, so that a good class of; visitor could'be brought ; into touch with the inmates. Witness had introduced a system of visiting by ladies who took an interest in the. girls and the system, which had been in force for over two years,' had been attended with good results. Truant Officer's Evidence. Mr J. A. Blank, Education Board's Attendance Officer, gave evidence on the lines of his experience. in 'dealing with truant school children. He found that many of the children who were irregular attendants: at school were , defectives, and the children of defectives. Witness recommended that power should be granted for the regular inspection of homes of such class. At present only minor fines 'for truancy could be inflicted in cases in which control of the whole family was necessary. There was a great need for inspection and treatment of children to save the. country from being overrun by a defi-cient-class. He was of opinion that any special home.should be far distant from the larger cities. Legal Guardianship. Miss B. E. Baughan, a prominent social worker and visitor to prisons, gave evidence showing that a number of offenders who were committed to prison were mentally, deficient and should receive special . treatment. While such cases should not be mitted to prisons, they should have legal guardians. One man who was serving five years' reformative detention for indecent exposure could not read or write, was mentally dull, and people gave him liquor to afford them amusement. Miss Batlghan contended that there! should bo legislation which would convict -the person who misled mentally deficient persons. A test was made of the mentality of spme of the inmates of Addington Reformatory, and none had passed a twelve-year-old child.'s standard. One of the inmates was bright on 'all subjects except morality, and she"was "all at sea" on those; questions: ' In reply to the chairman,- -Dr. Truby King- said that cases of double personality were .fairly .common amongst defectives.. ..

Miss Baughan- urged very strongly that' special "treatment should be given to prisoners suffering from low men-; tality, nervous disorders, etc. Tubercular patients were- segregated, but they, also received treatment, and she urged that, such classes of'offenders as ! she had quoted should be treated. In j the large centres there should be an i authority or- "behaviour clinic," to w hom the social workers and parents | might go for advice as to how to treat cases of incipient delinquency. She*! submitted that'sexual offenders who ex- j pressed a desire for a surgical operation should be enjcouraged .to undergo I such an operation. Much valuable data j could be thus obtained. • :

' The enquiry was adjourned till 10 'aim. to-day. •