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addressed, at the Council's request, a special enquiry to juvenile advisory committees
on the question and a summary of the results follows:—
General Post Office.—In the case of candidates for appointment as telephonist or girl
probationers, no applications are considered from those who cannot write easily and legibly
with the right hand.
Clerical.—Left-handedness was reported generally to be a bar by employers engaging
staff where handwriting is essential; left-handed juveniles are stated to be poor and slow.
From one area it is reported that employers will not consider left-handed juveniles where bookkeeping
and ledger work is involved. It is also understood that the banks definitely will not
engage left-handed persons.
Engineering.—It was reported generally to be a definite bar where juveniles are required to
operate machines and to work in a " team."
Needle Trades.—It was reported generally a bar. It would appear to be chiefly due to the
fact that left-handed and right-handed girls cannot work together. It is reported from one area
that the largest employer of machinists states that his best workers are left-handed, but the
difficulty is in the training ; the girls take much longer to learn and require more patience in
teaching.
Other trades where left-handedness is reported to be a bar are cabinet-making, piano-making,
sports goods, bookbinding and hairdressing.
The consultative committee of head mistresses of girls' schools drew attention
to advice which had in certain cases been given to head teachers regarding the
method which it was considered desirable to adopt in dealing with left-handedness
in children, and asked that similar information should be conveyed to all head
teachers. The request was referred to the chief inspector, who appointed a committee
of inspectors to inquire into the matter and to ascertain whether, and if so
in what degree, left-handedness is a handicap in industry and commerce. The
question was also discussed with the medical officer, on whose advice the letters
referred to by the consultative committee were written.
It appeared desirable that head teachers should have some guidance in the
treatment of left-handed children, and it was suggested by the chief inspector that
a circular should be issued in the following terms :—
There are exceptional children who appear to be naturally left-handed. There are also
many children who have acquired left-handedness, though in many of these cases the exact
cause may be obscure. But whether left-handedness in any particular case is innate or acquired,
the tendency to use the left hand is often firmly fixed before school age.
The conventions in writing are, however, arranged to suit right-handed people, and anyone
who writes with the left hand will work under a definite, if slight, handicap all his life. There is
evidence also that left-handedness is a handicap in certain commercial and industrial occupations.
It would, therefore, appear to be desirable that some attempt should be made, particularly in the
early stages of teaching writing, to encourage all children to use the right hand. Many lefthanded
children have learnt to write with the right hand without any apparent disadvantage.
It will be appreciated that in cases in which the left-handedness is either natural or well
established, there may be some danger in exercising any pressure in this matter. The medical
officer points out that school hygienists are agreed that there certainly should be no attempt to
make children right-handed by means of punishment or ridicule. He states further that pressure
is likely to result in producing a harmful degree of emotional disturbance. This has been found
in some cases to result in nervous symptoms, including stammering. It will be recognised,
therefore, that in any attempts to encourage children to be right-handed, it is very necessary
to proceed with great caution, and to desist if any signs of abnormal emotional disturbance
are shown.
The Council agreed that the head teachers should be advised in the above
terms, but directed that stress should be laid upon the words printed in italics.
Rheumatism scheme.
Dr. A. B. Raffle was seconded during the course of the year to the housing
section and his place in charge of the rheumatism scheme was taken by Dr. C. E.
Thornton.
A slight decrease in the number of children nominated for institutional treatment
under the scheme is recorded, 1,571 being nominated this year, as against 1,845 in
1933. The decrease is entirely confined to the group of mild or latent cases dealt
with by supervisory centres, out-patient departments and school doctors. The
nominations received from the in-patient departments of the voluntary hospitals
show a nearly 50 per cent. increase over those of the previous year (348 compared