Hrdlicka. 71 



ing and in 1.15 per cent, burglary. The character of the offences on 

 the whole was more grave with the physically defective children. 



As to the behavior of the children of this class since under obser- 

 vation in the asylum, their conduct was stated to be persistently bad 

 in some way in 15 cases, or 17 per cent, of the total. 



It seems, whatever causes there may be for the fact, that the 

 children with numerous physical abnormalities are also more liable 

 to abnormalities of character than are the children who are physi- 

 cally entirely normal. The phenomenon may perhaps be explained 

 from two main standpoints. On the one hand, the child with 

 numerous abnormalities carries in the majority ot the cases more 

 serious predisposition inherited from its parents, and this predis- 

 position affects not only its body but also diminishes its energy and 

 self control. Besides this, children whose parents were physically 

 inferior have undoubtedly suffered more from neglect and from in- 

 sufficient training, as a class, than children whose parents we have 

 reason to believe were physically normal, and these conditions have 

 left a mark on their character. 



In illustration of this last point we find that among the 87 children, 

 in seven cases both of the parents were dead, in 22 cases the father 

 alone and in 13 cases the mother alone were dead. 



The kind of heredity these children have received is shown well 

 enough by the number of their dead parents, but it illustrated in 

 addition, even from the scarce information we have in this respect, 

 by the fact that 12 of the parents of the children were intemperate, 3 

 deserted their family, and 1 was a forger. 



The children who show many physical abnormalities should not 

 be condemned and looked upon as any inferior beings, simply be- 

 cause of their physical abnormalities. But it should be borne in 

 mind that many of these children may require an additional and pro- 

 longed care. With such care the majority of them will develop 

 into good members of the community. 



