MEDICAL INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS 



TABLE 40. PHYSICAL DEFECTS AMONG 449 RETARDED CHILDREN, 

 OF WHOM 345 HAD BEEN IN THE FIRST GRADE TWO YEARS, 86 

 THREE YEARS, AND l8 FOUR OR MORE YEARS. ELMIRA, 

 NEW YORK, 



A study of the figures of the last three columns shows in 

 general an increase in the percentage of defects found as we pass 

 from the pupils who had been in the first grade two years to those 

 who had been there three years and to the most retarded group 

 who had been there from four to seven years. This increase of 

 defects with progressive retardation is particularly evident in the 

 case of the pupils who had adenoids or were anemic. 



DEFECTS AND PROGRESS IN NEW YORK 

 In a study of retardation in the New York public schools, 

 conducted in 1908 by the Russell Sage Foundation, a careful 

 tabulation was made of the records of the physical examinations 

 of 7,608 children who had been examined by school physicians. 

 When these records were tabulated the astonishing condition was 

 brought to light that nearly 80 per cent of the children who were 

 of normal age for their grades were found to have physical defects, 

 while only about 75 per cent of the retarded children were defective. 

 Another noteworthy point was that the percentage of defec- 

 tive children in the lower grades was decidedly greater than in the 

 upper grades. The discovery of these unlooked-for results led 



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