OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL 89 



men had been given psychological examination prior to Jan- 

 uary I, 1919. Of this number, about 41,000 were commis- 

 sioned officers. More than 83,000 of the enlisted men inclu- 

 ded in the total had been given an individual examination in 

 addition to the group examination for literates, for illiterates, 

 or both. 



Between April 27 and November 30, 1918, 7,749 (0.5 per 

 cent.) were reported for discharge by psychological examiners 

 because of mental inferiority. The number of recommenda- 

 tions for assignment to labor battalions because of low-grade 

 intelligence was 9,871 (0.6+ per cent.). A total of 9,432 

 men (0.6+ per cent.) were recommended for assignment to 

 development battalions in order that they might be carefully 

 observed and given preliminary training to discover, if pos- 

 sible, ways of using them in the army. 



During this same period of six months, there were re- 

 ported 4,744 men with mental age ratings below seven years; 

 7,762 between seven and eight years; 14,566 between eight 

 and nine years; 18,581 between nine and ten years. This 

 gives a total of 45,653 (3 per cent.) men under ten years' 

 mental age. It is extremely improbable that many of these 

 individuals were worth what it cost the government to main- 

 tain, equip, and train them for military service. 



The original purpose of psychological examining in the 

 army was stated as follows in the preamble to the plan first 

 submitted to the Surgeon General: "The Council of the 

 American Psychological Association is convinced that in the 

 present emergency American psychology can substantially 

 serve the government, under the Medical Corps of the Army 

 and Navy, by examining recruits with respect especially to 

 intellectual deficiency, psychopathic tendencies, nervous in- 

 stability, and inadequate self-control." 



It was the expectation of psychological examiners that 

 their principal service would be assistance in the prompt dis- 

 covery and proper disposition of mental defectives. Long 

 before the official trial of methods of examining had ended, 

 however, it had become clear that various other applications 

 were desired by officers of the line and that the significance of 



