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Report of the Medical Officer (Education).
171
The standards of good and bad homes had to be left to the personal judgment of the teachers,
but in Stepney the Jewish families are much better off than those of other races in the same district;
and it is probable that the Jews classed as bad are almost as well off as the “Christians” classed as
good. The abundance of garments worn by those of alien descent may, indeed, make some little difference
in weight. The precocity of the Southern races has to be remembered, and although at these
particular ages they are the heavier and taller, they probably do not maintain the advantage into adult
life.
Inattention.
The capacity for learning, like that for assimilating nourishment, has probably a very considerable
seasonal variation about which at present we know nothing. Inattention is, however, ever present,
and it may be regarded as a symptom of causes preventing learning or as a defect in itself. The whole
matter of inattention in school should be investigated not superficially, but in an intensive way.
Teacher and school inspector would have to collaborate with the doctor, and the work begun in the
school folllowed up in the labaratory, till the whole problem is unravelled. For such a laboratory,
a very necessary adjunct to the school work in London, not only for normal but abnormal children,
although often recommended, there is as yet no provision. The investigation of inattention will be
a slow business, it will not make much show on paper, but it will be an enquiry of extreme value to
the educationist.
Dr. Langmead has made a preliminary enquiry, and although his results are too few to be of
value, and the regulations make it almost impossible to find time to continue the work, yet the method
tried was found useful. The teachers were asked to select all the children in whom they observed any
difficulty of fixing attention. Those considered to be in any way mentally defective were then eliminated.
There remained apparently normal but inattentive children, who were then examined by the doctor.
He noted the child's name, age, and standard. Particular attention was paid to its general status as
determined by clothes and cleanliness, recorded as very good, average, or bad. The hours of sleep
were ascertained, the time of retiring, and of getting up. Any work out of school hours was enquired
into, also the vision, hearing, general bodily constitution, such as washing, anaemia, and so on. The
presence of enlarged tonsils or adenoids was ascertained, and a general remark made as to any evidences
of nervous instability, excitability, fidgetiness, and so forth.
A neurotic disposition appears the chief cause of lack of attention among the children examined.
In a few no adequate cause could be determined. In several as noted below various causes seemed to
contribute.

It is noteworthy that although only in five was visual defect assigned as a cause of inattention,
it was sub-normal in 23 of the 37. The girls do much housework, and most of them had nervous tricks
and movements.
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