614 KEroRi— 1893. 



On the Physical Deviations fro')n the Normal among Children in 

 Elementary and other Schools. — Report of the Committee, con- 

 sisting of Sir Douglas G-altoiv (Chairman), Dr. F. Warner 

 (Secretary), Mr. G. W. Bloxam, Mr. E. W. Brabrook, and 

 Dr. J. Cr. GrARSox. (Draivn up by Dr. Francis Warner.) 



A COMMITTEE having been appointed by the International Congress of 

 Hygiene and Demography (1891) to conduct an investigation as to the 

 physical and mental condition of school children, and having commenced 

 their work on lines approved by ample experience, yoar Committee decided 

 to work with that committee, and the report here given has been pre- 

 pared, by permission, from the facts accumulated by it. Thirty thousand 

 children have been seen in forty-one schools, and notes were taken in 

 5,072 cases. It has not been possible to prepare a complete report, but 

 an analysis has been made as to 16,094 children seen in eighteen schools. 

 The method of pi'ocedure is as follows : All the children are seen in the 

 three departments of the school — infa.nts, boys, and girls. The pupils 

 are observed as they stand in rank, usually a standard or smaller section 

 at a time. The inspector, standing in front of each child in turn, holds 

 a shilling for him to look at, so as to fix his eyes, and thus obtains a full 

 face as well as a profile view of each side, noting the features separately 

 and the cranium, the expression and muscular action of the parts of the 

 face, the eye-movements, and other points. The trained observer can 

 read off the points in the physiognomy of the individual features and their 

 parts, noting the pi'oportions and form of each. 



Having inspected each child in the line as described, the children are 

 asked to hold out their hands in front of them, and for a moment the 

 action is done before them. The balance of head, spine, shoulders, as 

 well as of the arms, hands, and fingers, are noted in each case. Finally the 

 observer places his hand on the head, noting size, form, bosses, &c., and 

 the palate is inspected in each case. 



At each of these stages in the inquiry children presenting deviations 

 from the normal in any particular are asked to stand aside. The teachers 

 are then asked to present any exceptional or dull children not picked out 

 by the observer. 



Each selected child is re-examined individually, and described on a 

 schedule form in which the defect or abnormal nerve-sign is verbally 

 described. The teacher's report of the child's mental status is added. 

 The name, age, and standard of each child are written in, and the number 

 of children seen in each standard is recorded. 



As far as possible a description is given of the general social status 

 of the children, their nationality, and the general character of the neigh- 

 bourhood. 



For the purpose of preparing statistics each case verbally described 

 in the report on the children is entered in a register, in which headings 

 indicate the defects, the case being entered under such headings as corre- 

 spond to its defects. The cases are thus presented in a tabular form, 

 from which actuarial analysis and groupings can be accurately prepared. 



As regards the standard of defect in observation of points of physio- 

 gnomy or deviations from the normal, the observer should be well accus- 



