[Report 1933] / Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County.

  • Canterbury (England). City & County Council.
Date:
1933
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1933] / Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/56 (page 16)
    Mental Deficiency Acts, 1913 and 1927. It should be remembered that there are two main adminis- trative groups of Mental Defectives, viz. : — (1) The Statutory Cases—dealt with by the Mental Deficiency Committee. (2) The Education Cases—educable feeble-minded children between the ages of 7 and 16 for whose education the Education Committee is responsible. Ascertainment.—It is hoped that in future most of the cases who become “ subject to be dealt with ” under these Acts will have been previously ascertained (if they have been in attendance at Canterbury Elementary Schools) as mentally defective under the Education Act. The School Medical Department now has records of the following number of retarded children under 18 years of age : — Mental Classification. Intelligent Quotient. No. of Children. Imbecile 25—50 15 Feeble-minded 50—75 36 (Special School Cases! Borderline Cases ^ ' 0 1 CO 0 20 Dull and Backward 80—90 10 Total ... 81 There are therefore approximately 36 children, apart from those not yet ascertained, who are unable to receive proper benefit from the education at an ordinary Elementary School. During the year one feeble-minded child reached the age for notification to the Mental Deficiency Committee, and in, addition two imbeciles were notified to this Committee. School children are certified as feeble-minded under the Education Acts and it should be understood that a proportion of these certified as feeble-minded during school life will not necessarily be certifiable under the Mental Deficiency Acts when they reach the age of 16 years. Much then depends upon the amount of temperamental defect, if any, and the child’s capacity to earn a living and to fit normally into some simple environment. Supervision.—The supervision of cases ascertained both under the Education Act and the Mental Deficiency Acts is undertaken by the Kent Voluntary Association for ^Mental Welfare, who, in addition, conduct an Occupation Centre ip Canterbury.