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 1931

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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Table: Mental age as compared with chronological age.

Mental age as compared with chronological age.

Chronological age.Mental age.
5678910Total
16—20__128213
20—30——126211
30-401—11——3
40—50——11——2
Total1—4614429

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Two of these were married women, 17 had been born and educated in London
and 12 had come from various parts of the country, 4 having been in London for
less than a year. Their ages varied from 16 to 49.

Table: School reports were obtained whenever possible, and the following were the results in the 17 London cases:—

School reports were obtained whenever possible, and the following were the results in the 17 London cases:—

Attended M.D. school till 16 years of age4
Attended M.D. school, excluded as imbecile1
Regarded as M.D., but not put forward for statutory examination as there was a backward class in the school1
" Always very dull "2
Standard 2 at 14 years of age1
„ 3 at 14 „1
„ 4 at 14 „3
,, 5 at 14 ,, ,,1
Attended elementary school, but no report obtainable3
Total17

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Although some were said to have attained to Standard 4 and 5, their educational
attainments were definitely below that level.

Table: In the case of the country women (12) the schools were communicated with by letter and the following reports obtained:—

In the case of the country women (12) the schools were communicated with by letter and the following reports obtained:—

Always thought M.D.2
Always very dull5
Very low standard3
Very backward—conduct extremely unsatisfactory1
No report obtainable1
Total12

Table: None of these country cases had attended schools for the mentally defective. The reading ages of the 29 cases are set out in the following table:—

None of these country cases had attended schools for the mentally defective. The reading ages of the 29 cases are set out in the following table:—

No sounds (imbecile)1
Not equal to Burt 41
Equal to Burt 41
,, 53
,, 62
,, 74
,, 810
,, 92
,, 103
,, 112
Total29

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Whenever the relatives could be traced, in the London cases, they were visited
and enquiries made into the home conditions. In the country cases such enquiries
were made by correspondence and sometimes by interviewing parents at the police
court. It was ascertained that:—6, had definitely bad homes; 3, parents separated,
conditions unsatisfactory; 5, father unemployed; 1, parents both dead; 2, very poor
but apparently respectable; 1, no home, married woman with husband "on the
road " ; 7, apparently good homes; 4, not known.