London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1927
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Investigation of the emotional stimuli showed that there was a distinct relationship
between instability and delinquency, but it appeared that the capacity for
employment was more closely correlated with stability than with intelligence or
with mechanical attainments.
Enquiry into the schools attended by adult defective delinquents charged in
London showed that 45 per cent, had attended special (M.D.) schools, of the others,
some had passed their school days before the special school system was fully
established, many had come into London from the provinces, and certain others
had had sufficient intelligence to pass through school harmoniously but had proved
unable to fend for themselves in the world. The proportion of the total of defective
delinquents to the total of ex-scholars of special schools is very small, and testifies
to the stabilising effect of the character training in these schools and the value of the
trade education for the elder boys and girls.
All mentally defective persons placed under statutory supervision are visited
by the officers of the London Association for Mental Welfare, who report regularly
to the Council on the matter. These reports are always read and initialled by a
senior medical officer, who thus keeps himself in constant touch with the changes
in their condition and sees, where any change takes place, that the necessary
recommendations are made to the Mental Hospitals Committee.
The general effect of the work undertaken by the London County Council as
the Mental Deficiency Authority, apart from the Education Authority, is shown
by the following data classified in sex, as to cases either under supervision, or, in
institutions on 31st December, 1927—
In institutions, M. 1,356, F. 1,406 ; under supervision, M. 917, F. 1,047;
under guardianship, M. 28, F. 20; in places of safety, M. 12, F. 15.
After careers
of children
formerly
attending
special
schools.
Return for year ended December 31st, 1927, of the after careers of children formerly attending special schools for the mentally defective, apart from those whose names have been forwarded to the Local Control Authority for action under the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913.
| M. | F. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Number of children born in or subsequent to 1909 who have left special (mentally defective) schools and who have been on the books of the association as “after-care” cases | 583 | 502 | 1,085 |
| 2. Number of these who— (a) Have since died | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| (6) Are known to be incapable by reason of mental or physical defect of undertaking employment | 18 | 34 | 52 |
| (c) Have been subsequently dealt with under M.D. Act | 18 | 7 | 25 |
| 3. Number employed in— (a) Industrial or manual occupations (i.e., factory work, and trade or part of a trade) | 359 | 234 | 593 |
| (b) Agricultural or rural occupations............ | 4 | — | 4 |
| (c) Domestic occupations (i.e., servants sleeping in or out, lift boys and those “helping at home”...... | 22 | 156 | 178 |
| (d) Commercial (i.e., shop assistants or selling behind a counter), professional (or Army and Navy), clerical (office boys and girls) | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| (e) Blind alley or other precarious occupations (i.e., van boys, newsboys, errand boys or girls selling from a barrow) | 85 | 9 | 94 |
| 4. Judged to be employable but out of work | 46 | 47 | 93 |
| 5. Number whose careers have not been traced or who have left the neighbourhood | 21 | 12 | 33 |
| Total analysed under headings 2, 3, 4 and 5 | 583 | 502 | 1,085 |
After careers of children formerly attending special schools for the blind, deaf
and crippled children (data furnished by the After Care Association for blind, deaf
and crippled children), for the year ended 31st March, 1927.