MENTAL DEFECTS

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 135, 3 March 1922, Page 7

MENTAL DEFECTS

CHIEFLY CAUSED BY BAD HOMES VIEWS OF SCHOOL MEDICAL OFFICER While the subject of mental defects was one of the must important of all affecting the welfare of the country, yet it was one which was gracefully wai ed aside, was the opinion expressed by Dr. A. Clark, of Auckland, medical officer for the Education Department, in a paper road at the Medical Conference yesterday. If one could analyse, ho stated, the causes of siokness, malnutrition, deformities, delinquencies, and miseries of the country, he would speedily come to the conclusion that the, greater proportion was due to mental defectiveness on the part of parents. Many people seemed unable to realise that the ordinary laws of health must bo followed if their children were to grow up sound and healthy, In Auckland, Dr. Clark stated, they had the homes graded by the school nurses. Good homos were classed as A, moderate homes as B, and bad homes as C. In grading, the condition, cleanliness, ventilation, and tone of'the homes were taken into consideration. They had found that of mentally defective children 12.5 per cent, camo from homes classed as A, 29.16 per cent, from homos classed as B, and 58.23 por cent, from those classed as C. On these lines they had come to realise the immensity of the subject of mental defectiveness. Dr. Clark went on to declare that mentally defective children should bo classified according to the work they could do in the community. They should be segregated by tho State into classes. The high-grade cases should be sent to classes in the'centres, the medium cases should bo trained for handicrafts, farming, and labour, and the worst cases should be sent to mental hospitals for life. The subject was a very serious one, as mentally defective girls were simply a prey for all men who had uncontrollable passions. ' Public opinion was not yet ripe for sterilisation. IHe recommended that special schools should bo provided for montally defective children. They had a splendid institution of the kind at Otekaeke, near Oamaru. The police reports showed that 70 or 80 per cent, of the convictions were recorded against mentally defective persons. The subject should bo taken up as a matter of State policy.