Popular Science Monthly 



557 



against iheniscKcs and removed forever peculiar problems we place it before our 

 from socio! >'. advisory board for special study. 



At the conclusion of our experiments, Each day we receive a number of un- 



the need for a sure 

 method of detecting 

 the mentally defcc^- 

 tive among the 

 city's criminals be- 

 came apparent and 

 so after many con- 

 ferences with the 

 I3epartment of Cor- 

 rection, Professor 

 Edward L. Thorn- 

 dike of Columbia 

 University, Chief 

 Justice McAdoo and 

 a number of other 

 magistrates. Police 

 C o m m i s s i o n e r 

 Woods brought the 

 Psychojmthic Lab- 

 oratory into being. 



Before taking up 

 my duties in the 

 Laboratory, Inspec- 

 tor Faurot and I 

 went to Chicago, 

 where we studied 

 the methods em- 

 ployed in the 

 psychopathic labo- 

 ratories there. Be- 

 side myself we have 

 an expert psycholo- 

 gist. Dr. K. C. Rowe, 

 who works in the 

 laboratory every 

 day. On our advi- 

 sory l)oar(l we have 

 I'-dward L. Thorn- 

 dike, Professorof Kducational Psychology 

 at Columbia, Dr. PVederick Tilney, Pro- 

 fessor of Nervous and Mental Diseases 

 at the College of Physicians and Sur- 

 geons, Dr. August Hoch, Director of 

 Psychiatric Institute, New York State 

 Ilosj^itals, Dr. Woods Hutchinson, Ar- 

 thur Train and Raymond D. Fosdick. 



We ha\e not confmed ourselves to the 

 use of any one particular test or scale for 

 measuring mental ability, but have 

 adapted to our particular needs certain 

 parts of a number of well-known tests. 



Every patient receives a thorough 

 psychological, neurological and physical 

 examination. If his case presents any 



Inspector Faurot turning over a case to 

 the psychologist at the psychopathic 

 laboratory at police headquarters. The 

 inspector, at the right, is handing the 

 history of the case to the psychologist 



usually interesting 

 cases. I will cite a 

 few at random. 



A criminal who, be- 

 cause of his intelli- 

 gence and the number 

 and variety of his ex- 

 ploits, might have been 

 a stage crook was 

 brought in for exami- 

 nation. On the way to 

 the laboratory he told 

 the detective who had 

 him in charge that the 

 scrub woman who was 

 working in the hall 

 when they passed, knew 

 him by name. He be- 

 lieved that the children 

 in the street recog- 

 nized him and was sure 

 that all Italians did. 

 When examined, this 

 man showed a very 

 high intelligence, but 

 he was suffering from a 

 form of insanity which 

 might, at any moment, 

 take a homicidal turn. 

 From the nature of his 

 calling it will be seen 

 that this man was 

 fearless, yet his insan- 

 ity had taken the form 

 of abject fear of recog- 

 nition. His case was 

 incurable. Obviously, 

 prison was not the 

 place for him. 



A fugitive from jus- 

 tice was arrested. He 

 had served two terms 

 before, one for assault 

 and one for abduction. 

 Examination showed 

 him to be a high-grade 

 imbecile, his mental age being seven years. This 

 condition is incurable and it is certain that each 

 time such a person gets out of prison he will 

 commit another crime. His ability to reason and 

 his range of ideas were both exceedingly limited. 

 A waiter was arrested charged with attempted 

 blackmail. He had sent a threatening letter to a 

 company demanding $500,000. When examined, 

 he was perfectly willing to talk about his efforts 

 to obtain the money and believed it was due him. 

 He was found to be insane and the only proper 

 treatment for this difficulty is that which he 

 would receive in an insane asylum. 



The most revolting and hideous crimes 

 are those committed by mental defec- 

 tives. These persons possess an unusual 

 amoimt of cunning, which makes their 

 apprehension difficult. It is generally 



A physician making an ex- 

 amination of a prisoner at 

 the psychopathic laboratory 



