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139
Report of the Medical Officer (Education).
the terms of the Act, at any rate up to the age of 14. Beyond that age when the children are big and
strong and suitable opportunities for work are available, it is difficult in disputed cases to obtain the
necessary legal sanction to enforce their continued school attendance, and in such border cases adequate
medical support could not be given to any legal proceedings.
In the enquiry the opportunity was taken of trying certain extended methods, and for a number
of children, though in some instances with slight modifications of technique, the graded tests for developmental
diagnosis associated with the names of Binet and de Sanctis were used. These are described
later.
The children in each school were watched at manual work, play, physical exercises when these
were in progress, and their behaviour in the street on their way to and from school was observed in
addition to the special examination of each child.
The schedule filled in for each child noted, in addition to any points of ordinary medical inspection—
Attitude.
Evidences of motor disturbance.
Emotional condition.
Imitation of movements.
Habits.
Attention.
Ability to carry out movements to command.
Sensory perception and interpretation—
Recognition and matching of colours.
Differentiation of size and weight of objects.
Response to a weight size illusion.
Im mediate and remote memory—
The carrying out of two or more orders successively, though included in one
command.
The repetition of sentences or sets of numerals read to the child.
Report on short paragraph read by the child himself.
Writing of a short sentence or a few words said once or twice only to the child.
Questions on matters of daily life, such as breakfast.
The multiplication table.
Memory in conjunction with powers or habits of observation—
Questions on the destinations, etc., of trains, trams, omnibuses, etc., in the neighbourhood
; the prices of such articles as children fetch from shops, etc.
General tests-
Knowledge of left and right.
Days of the week; day before yesterday and day after to-morrow.
Description of a picture.
Description from memory of an object, e.g., a cat.
Distinction from memory between two objects, e.g., a fly and a butterfly.
Recognition of coins.
Detection of absurdities.
Educational tests—
Reading and report of subject matter read.
Response to written commands.
Writing—transcription, dictation and spontaneous writing.
Calculation—counting, simple sums, mentally or in writing; power of giving the
correct change in a supposed transaction.
The Binet and de Sanctis tests were tried on a smaller number, for which purpose special
additional schedules were employed.
In conducting the examinations every effort was made to set the children at their ease, and when
necessary time was spent in casual conversation with this end in view. Any child who seemed to have
been disturbed by any exceptional circumstances, such as the presence of onlookers, was re-examined
on a subsequent occasion and the best results only recorded.

South-grove is a school entirely for elder boys, Priory-road comprises both an ordinary special
school and one for elder girls. Offord-road is an ordinary special school from which the older boys are
drafted elsewhere.
A nervous poise and somewhat slack general attitude were noted in the majority, the attention
was apt to wander in a large number, but in only five was it really difficult to arrest. In about 10
per cent. there was some definite over-action of the frontal muscles during mental effort, inertia was a
marked feature in about the same proportion of cases. An absence of ready response to cheerful
stimulation and a lack of buoyancy was noted, particularly in the mass observations of the children at
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