London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Walthamstow 1934

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]

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A summary of the work done under this heading during the last

four years is of some interest :—

1934.1933.1932.1931.
Not Mentally Defective, or Dull and Backward29287049
Border line Mentally Defective334
Mentally Defective14241720
Imbeciles59610
Idiots214
51639787

During 1934 there was a marked decline in the number of
children referred for examination. In some oases there is no doubt
that Head Teachers refrain from reporting border line cases.
Mentally Defective School.—Your Authority provides a Special
School with accommodation for 130 children. The After Care
Committee does excellent work in watching the interests of the
children after leaving school.
At the end of 1934, the classification, according to the latest
available intelligence quotients, was as follows :—
Intelligence Quotient 80 to 89 4
,, ,, 70 to 79 22
,, ,, 60 to 69 20
,, ,, 50 to 59 12
,, ,, 40 to 49 8
Not recently tested 1
67
A special visit is paid to the school at the end of every term,
and all cases considered to be ineducable by the Head Teacher,
are carefully reviewed, and, if necessary, excluded and notified
to the County Council for supervision.
It is hoped, by this procedure, gradually to eliminate all
ineducable and low-grade children. Owing to the great scarcity
of institutional beds, and to the fact that, failing institutional
admission, the only alternative is attendance at the Occupation
Centre on a voluntary basis, it is often an irksome task to certify
these low grade defectives as ineducable.
The following table shows the number of children who have either
left or have been excluded during the past four years, and includes
those directly notified to the County Council: —