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 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Mongolism may occur in families of any social class, though in data collected
from the public elementary schools the proportion met with in the middle classes is
likely to be underestimated. After taking out the percentage of distribution of the
social class and occupation of the parents of 272 mongols, and comparing it with
a similar percentage as revealed by the data of the Registrar-General, it will be noted
that there are relatively more examples whose parents belong to the middle or
distributing classes, or mixed occupations, which include service in the army, navy,
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The cause of mongolism is as yet unknown, but it has been noted that they are frequently, though not exclusively, the last children of elderly parents; sometimes they come at the end of very large families; the place in family of 315 children is tabulated below.
| Place in family. | No. of children in family. | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
| 1 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | — | 22 | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | — | — | 19 | 8 | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | — | — | — | 25 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — |
| 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | — | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | 3 | 3 | _ | _ |
| 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — |
| 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
The ages of the parents of 294 such children are shown in the subjoined table:—
| Father's age. | 18 to 20 | 21 to 23 | 24 to 26 | 27 to 29 | 30 to 32 | 33 to 35 | 36 to 38 | 39 to 41 | 42 to 44 | 45 to 47 | 48 to 50 | Over 50 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mother's age. | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Over 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 48-50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| 45-47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 17 |
| 42-44 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 9 | 20 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 61 |
| 39-41 | —- | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 67 |
| 36-38 | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 58 |
| 33-35 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 30 |
| 30-32 | — | — | — | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 22 |
| 27-29 | — | — | 1 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 22 |
| 24-26 | — | — | 2 | — | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 |
| 21-23 | — | 3 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 |
| 18-20 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Total | _ | 4 | 6 | 18 | 23 | 36 | 39 | 61 | 45 | 27 | 21 | 14 | 294 |
It may be noted that in a very considerable number of cases the mother is older
than the father—a condition much more frequently met with in cases of mongolism
than in any other type of mental defect.
retention for a lengthy period. In one or two occasional instances, artistic
tendencies have enabled them to show slight promise of being able, in part, to earn
a living