THE STUDY OF HUMAN HEREDITY. 



Methods of Collecting, Charting and Analysing Data. 



The following methods are in use at the Eugenics Record Office 

 at Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, The New Jersey State Village 

 for Epileptics, at Skillman, and The Training School for Backward 

 and Feeble-Minded Children, at Vineland, New Jersey. 



1. the: FIEJLD WORKER. 



For many years the better organized Hospitals and Institutions 

 for defectives have kept family histories of the patients. The infor- 

 mation obtained from application blanks, physicians' examinations and 

 replies received from letters sent to relatives and physicians have been 

 compiled and tabulated and deductions have been drawn from them. 

 But it has for some time been apparent that such family histories are 

 far from satisfactory and that a better way to get at the method of 

 inheritance of epilepsy, feeble-mindedness and the various forms of 

 insanity and criminality is by means of a field worker, who goes to the 

 homes and interviews persons that can and will give the desired 

 information. 



Besides the research work, the field worker performs many of the 

 services that usually fall under the head of purely social worker. In 

 many cases patients who have not heard from friends or relatives in 

 years are brightened by the visit of the field worker and look forward 

 to her return in the hope that she may bring them news of their friends. 

 Discharged patients are visited by the field worker whenever possible 

 in order to keep the Institution in touch with them. Her visits to 

 relatives, physicians and others establish a friendly feeling toward, 

 and an intelligent understanding of, the Institution and its work. 



When connected with an Institution, the field worker (who for 

 the purposes of many studies is preferably a woman) first learns all 

 she can about the patient from the material at the office, such as corre- 

 spondence, application blanks, records of medical and psychological 

 examinations. Addresses of friends and relatives and other informa- 

 tion that may be helpful in locating them is recorded and put in form 

 for the worker to take with her. Just before starting out to visit the 

 relatives and friends, the field worker visits the patient in his ward 

 or cottage. This is done in the manner of a friendly visit. She learns 



