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Mental Deficiency Act, in accordance with Article 3 of the Mental
Deficiency (Notification of children) Regulations, 1928.
In 1937 the total number of feeble minded children known
to the Education Authority was 179. Of these 156 were at certified
schools for mentally defective children; 10 were at public
elementary schools, and 13 were not attending any school or
institution.
(e) Epileptic children. The definition of an epileptic
child for this purpose is one who is epileptic within the meaning
of the Act, i.e. a child who, not being an idiot or an imbecile, is
unfit by reason of severe epilepsy to attend the ordinary public
elementary school. Only severe cases of epilepsy are excluded
from attendance at the elementary schools. With reference to
treatment, arrangements are made for cases of major epilepsy to
be boarded out in suitable institutions.
In the year 1937 the total number of cases of epilepsy—as
defined above—which were under the notice of the Authority was
16. Of these five were at certified special schools, two were at
public elementary schools, one was at an institution of another
type, and eight were at home, under the supervision of the school
medical and nursing staff.
(/) Physically defective children. This group of defective
children includes those suffering from tuberculosis of the lungs and
(or) other organs, delicate children, crippled children, children with
heart diseases, and children with multiple defects.
Tuberculous children. This sub-group includes only those
children who are diagnosed as tuberculous, and who require treatment
for this condition at a sanatorium, a dispensary, or at
another similar institution. Children who are suffering from
crippling due to tuberculous disease who are no longer in need
of treatment are classified below as "crippled children"—provided
that the degree of crippling conforms to that classification.
All other tuberculous children who are regarded as being no
longer in need of treatment are grouped as "delicate children"
below, provided that it can be certified under section 55 of the
Education Act, 1921, that they are incapable by reason of physical
defect of receiving proper benefit from instruction in the ordinary
public elementary schools. It will thus be seen that the figures
given here for tuberculous children bear little relationship to the
figures given in the section of this report which deals with
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