99. Mental and Physical Deviations from the Normal Among Children in Public Elementaryand Other SchoolsAuthor(s): Francis WarnerSource: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 30(1900), pp. 102-104Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and IrelandStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2842734 .

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No. 99.] Anthropological IevicwIs and Aliscellawea. [1900.

Child-Study. Warner. 9 Mental and Physical Deviations fromi, the Normal among Chilclren in Putblic

Elementary and other- Schools.-Report of the Committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, consisting of Mr. E. W. Brabrook (Chairman), Dr. Francis Warner (Secretary), Mr. E. White Wallis, Dr. J. G. Garson, and Dr. Rivers. Drawn up by the Secretary; presented at Bradford, September 4th, 1900; and printed in full in the Pr oceedings of the British Association, 1900 (Bradford). London, John MIurray.

The Committee, acting in conjunction with the Childhood Society for the Scientific Study of the Mental and Physical Conditions of Children, have, throujgh the assistance of that society, been able to use the cards recording the " cases with any abnormal nerve-sign," as seen 1892-94; that is, 2,851 boys, 2,003 girls, as found among 26,287 boys, 23,713 girls examined.

As a new method of research these cases are arranged in primary groups conitaining the children who presented nerve-signs in (1) the face only; (2) the hand only; (3) eye-movements defective only; and (4) a group showing nerve-signs in other parts of the body only.

In making a rapid examination and report on children examined in schools, it may be convenient to classify nerve-cases in four groups as presentinog signs in (1) face (defect of expression, overactionl of the frontal muscles, knitting the eyebrows, muscular relaxation about the lower eyelid); (2) in balance of the hand or finger twitches; (3) irregular movements of the eyes; (4) in general balance of the head and other parts of the body. Twenty-one nerve-signs have been observed and defined,' the cases presenting these signs are grouLped in classes under the headings named according to the parts of the body in which they are seen.

To the full Report are appended three tables showing, for the 50,000 children examined 1892-94, all cases presenlting one or more abnormal nlerve-signs, arianged in afge-groups. These three cases are classed in primary groups presenting nerve-signs in the parts indicated only, viz.: (1) the face; (2) the hand; (3) eye-movements; (4) in other parts of the body. The cases are farther distributed in primary groups under the main classes of defect.

The total number of childrenl with any class of nerve-sigiis is obtainable by adding the eight primary groups presenting that class, thuLs: Among the children 7 years and under, addinig the eight groups enumerating signs in the face gives a total of 343 boys, 179 girls. Again, addition of the tllree grouips enumerating signs in face and eye-movements gives a total of 21 boys, 20 girls, with the two classes of nerve-signis.

The numbers in each prlilmary group of nerve-cases are given in the last column of thc table appended to tlhe Report, and are distributed again as primary groups according to the main classes of defect observed associated with the nerve-signls. Thus:

Column headed B gives cases witlh nerve signs oinly. AB= Nerve-signs associated with development defect only. BC=Nerve-signs associated with delicacy only ; children pale or thini. BD=Nerve-signs wvithl melital dLnlness olnly. ABC=Nerve cases with developmental defect and delicate only, ice., not dull or

backward.

I See l?epoi t on the Scientific Sttady of the fientul and P/le? Conditions of CAildeen, bcsed on the exwainatic. ot 100,000 cA ildreo, p. 76. Publisliecl at the Parkes Mttseuiii.

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1900.] Anthropological Reviews and Miscellanea. [No. 99.

From the same tables appended to the full Report the compound groups can be formed by addition of the primary groups composing them, and from these the correlations of the classes of nerve-signs with the main classes of defect, can be obtained after the method explained in Dr. Warner's paper, in the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, March, 1896.

Among the nerve-cases here reported on, the relative frequency of nerve-signs in the face, the hand, and in eye-movements is shown to be as follows

I

FACE. EYE-MOVEMENTS. HAND. Age Groups. Total No. of Age Groups. | ('Cases. Total No. of Total No. of Total No. of

Cases. Cases. Cases,

Boys. Girls. Bs. Girls. Boys. Girls. Boys. Girls. 7 years aind under.... 7 42 489 343 179 94 74 300 209 8-10 years ... .... 1,229 878 473 250 153 127 690 503 11 years anid over.... 880 636 3]7 141 104 58 530 426

At all ages .... 2,851 2,003 1,133 570 351 259 1,520 1,138

Other researches were made, but when they did not appear to supply useful information the results were lno- included in the tables. It was thouglit that there might be a definite associatioll between irregular movements of the eyes and twitchings of the fingers; the facts given below do not support the premiss. Again, the association between irregular eye-movements and overaction of the frontal muscles (frowning) is lnot very marked, though more frequent than in the last case.

Age Groups. Piimaly Groups.

7 and under. 8-10. 11 and over

Doys| Gil-Is. Boys. Girls. Boys. Girls.

Eye-mlovemenits alnd fingel twitches - _ I _ oinly.

Eye-movemiients and fing(rer twitches 2 1 1 7 3 2 anid othiel nerve-signs.

Eye-movements and fIrontals over- 7 2 12 2 3 acting only.

Eye-movements and frontals and other 5 2 16 2 9 f 2 nerve-signs.

This Committee, first appointed in 1892, have reported each year' and information thus supplied concerning the mental and physical conditions of childhood has afforded evidence in a wide field of research. Among other problems advanced it has been shown that, with certain constitutional conditions of congenital deficiency and acqaired defects as foand among boys and girls respectively, the status varies in the age-groups. It appears highly probable that the lieavy mortality under five years of age, which falls principally on the boys, is largely due to developmental defects, wbile

I The reports will be found in the corresponding voluwiies of the Proceedings of the British Association.

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No. 100.] Anthropological Reviuews and AMiscellanea. [1900.

children with such congenital defect who suirvive add largely to the proportion of the dull and delicate pupils in schools, and to the number of neurotic persons who often fail in health at adult age.

The main classes of defect among children are more frequent with boys, while the girls with defective constitution tend in larger proportion than the boys to ill-health and brain disorderliness.

To summarise problems previously demonstrated, development-defect cases are very frequently delicate and dull. Children with (motor) brain disorderliness are often dull; so are the children who are naturally delicate. Dull pupils often present defect in development as well as delicacy and (motor) brain disorderliness needing, special care and training.

Departures from the normal are more frequent among males; but the females with developmental defect or brain disorderliness are more apt to receive harm and to receive less good from their environment than males. This indicates the care required, and is illustrated by the more hopeless condition of female lunatics and criminals.

It has been shown that good effects follow the employment of physical training at school in diminishing the number of children with signs of brain disorderliness and the proportion of dull pupils.

Children in Poor Law and industrial schools are below the average in bodily development and mental ability. It appears that home life and day school traininig are more advantageous than institution training.

The investigations that have been carried out and study of the distribution of cases of developmental defeat in various localities have suggested that sanitation and tbe practical application of hygienic principles to school life may lessen the frequency of developmental defects and the proportion of mental and pbysical weakness and mnortality co-attendant.

In conclusion it has been shown by many examples that detailed examination and r-eport on the children in selected schools has proven many points of social aild scientific value.

Since this report was drawn up an important mathematical paper " On Association of Attributes in Statistics, with illustrations from the Material of the Childhood Society, etc.," by Mr. G. Udny Yule, has been published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. The suggestions there made as to statistical methods of presenting correlations are likely to prove most usefnll in future research.

Charts have been prepared from these Reports by Mr. C. S. Loch and exhibited at the Paris Congress by the Charity Organisation Society.

Mi?rocephaly. Cunningham. 00On the Microcephalic Brain. Communicated by Professor D. J. Cunningham,

M.D., F.R.S., to the Anthropological Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Bradford, September 8th, 1900.

The brain of the microcephalic idiot may exhibit features whicn do not merely represent a " fixed" embryonic condition. In one specimen the arrangement of the fissures and sulci is found to approach more closely the ape than the human type, and in almost every furrow some simian character canl be detected. These simian charatcters must not be considered mere foetal conditions rendered per- manent. The ape-like condition existing in this brain does not as a whole correspond to that of any one ape, or group of apes, but there is a complicated mixtu-re of features, some of which are characteristic of high apes, while others finid a parallel

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