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87
Retinoscopy without mydriatics was used by Dr. Mcllroy, who has had extensive
experience of the method which consists of the use of a Wright Thomson skiascope
in a darkened room.
The results show that starting at age 7 with about equal proportions possessing
normal vision the Jewish children at later ages show much greater visual defect
than the Gentile children, while Jewish boys are distinctly worse than Jewish girls.
Visual
acuity.
Generally these results confirm all the previous observations.
Dr. Mcllroy's results may be summed up as follows:—
(1) The prevailing condition at age 7 is that of low hypermetropia—this
may be taken as the normal condition of the eyes at this age, both in Jewish
and Gentile children.
(2) A comparison of the condition of Jewish and Gentile boys at the younger
ages does not lend support to Dr. Sourasky's hypothesis that Jewish children
start from a condition of low hypermetropia, while Gentile children start from
a condition of high hypermetropia.
In fact, the position is rather the other way, for on the whole there is more
hypermetropia amongst the Jewish than the Gentile children at the younger ages.
(3) Hypermetropia diminishes during school life from 70 to 82 per cent.
at age seven to 44 to 55 per cent. at age thirteen. But low hypermetropia
still remains the dominant refractive error at age thirteen and must account
for the largest proportion of visual defect, even at the later school ages.
(4) Low myopia, absent at the earliest age, increases during school life
in all groups, but to a far greater extent amongst Jewish children, both boys
and girls, than amongst Gentile children.
(5) High myopia is very uncommon even at the later ages in Gentile
children, but is more frequently found in Jewish children, reaching a degree
of 5 per cent. amongst the older Jewish boys.
Thus Dr. Mcllroy's results go to show that the hypothesis that Jewish children,
start from a lower plane of hypermetropia than Gentile children is not supported.
On the other hand, the claim of Dr. Sourasky that the main part of the visual defect
of Gentile girls is due to low hypermetropia is fully confirmed.
The excess of the incidence of myopia upon Jewish children, both boys and
girls at the older ages, raises the question whether there is not a racial factor tending
to produce myopia more in Jewish than in Gentile children. The special incidence
of high myopia upon Jewish boys as compared with Jewish girls leaves the hypotheses
that it is due to over-use of the eyes at Chaida still in the field.
It is to be hoped that further enquiries on the lines of those of Dr. Sourasky
and Dr. Mcllroy will be carried out until sufficient data are accumulated to settle
the questions at issue, which are of such fundamental importance to the practice
of school hygiene.
Dr. Mcllroy also investigated social conditions in relation to her enquiry
and found that on the whole the Gentile boys go to bed earlier than the Jewish
boys, but Gentile girls keep later hours than Jewish girls. Jewish boys attend
cinemas to a greater extent than Gentile boys. Enquiries in regard to attendance
at Chaida showed that only 12 per cent. to 22 per cent. of Jewish boys fail to
attend these evening classes.
Dr. Elizabeth M. McVail has continued her investigation of the mental and
physical characteristics of myopic children.
Examination has been made of all myopic chilrden from 5 to 10 or 11 years
of age in certain sight-saving classes.
Dr. McVail's
investigation.
Intelligence
quotients of
myopic
children.
Dr. E.
MoVail.
The number examined was 110, of whom 86 were Gentiles and 24 Jews. Intelligence
quotients were obtained on the Binet scale and the degree of myopia noted.
Longitudinal and transverse measurements of the heads were taken and the cephalic
indices calculated from the formula C.I. =
100*d,
D
where "d" is the transverse