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ity of these children would have been discovered if the routine
work of medical inspection had not been disturbed by the war.

In 1912, the results of routine medical inspection with a
full-time staff were just beginning to show; from 1916-19 parttime
officers were in charge, and during 1920-22 there were
changes of Medical Officers, including assistants.
It is improbable that the numbers of mentally defective
children born will show much variation from year to year, and
in that case, taking an estimate of 60-70 children in the area the
admissions should be between 6 and 10 annually. At the
present time 59 children between 7 and 16 years are actually
known in the Wimbledon area to be receiving education suitable
for ment.allv defectives

Of the above children, 3 attend private schools, 3 have
been transferred to other schools or institutions, and 6 of the
senior boys attend Littleton Road School of the L.C.C. This
table definitely confirms the shortage among scholars of 13, 14,
and 15 years of age, and if the 12 mentioned above were added,
the estimate would probably be correct. These children were
probably overlooked during the rush of war years.
Children below 7 years of age are also known, but it is
almost impossible to persuade parents to allow them to attend
the Special School. The difficulty of children travelling to
and from schools has to be considered, and the majority of
parents beg that the children should first be permitted a trial
in the nearest elementary school. Most mentally defectives
show little outward evidence of their infirmity and their actual
scholastic work and intelligence cannot be adequately grouped
under 7 years of age.
Why there should be such marked difference between the
number of boys and girls, I am unable to state, but, of 14
children (between the ages of 7 and 9 years) at present under
observation, 7 are boys and 7 girls.
70