MENTAL DEFICIENCY

Hokitika Guardian, 14 January 1931, Page 5

MENTAL DEFICIENCY

AN ALARMING INCREASE. LONDON. November 27. At a recent mooting ol the Council of the British Medical Association, an influential committee was appointed ••to report oil the various medical problems presented by mental deficiency, more especially with regard to methods which have been suggested to reduce its incidence and to the facilities for medical education in this subject.” Dr R, Langdon-Down, one of tlie speakers, said that figures had been produced showing an alarming increase in the incidence of mental de- ( ficiency; with the fullest possible discount for those figures, it must be , admitted that a very serious problem , was presented. They showed something , like a doubling ol the incidence of mental deficiency in one generation. .Moreover, such an increase hud been foretold for the last fifteen or twenty veal's by people who noticed what was happening in tlie way ol seleeti\e breeding owing to tlie practice of birth control by the more, intelligent classes of the community. Sterilisation afforded the only really practical and effective measure, birth control not being applicable to people ol low mental intelligence. There were in the community some 203,000 mental defectives outside the range of institutional care. He considered that Hie appointment of a Royal Commission at the present moment would tend to postpone other methods of dealing with the subject. | Dr. P. Macdonald said lie was rather afraid of panic legislation. He agreed that the problem was serious, but there was one thing about which he was more frightened—that there should be interference with the liberty of the subject.. He was not certain that lie did not favour a Royal Coinmission on the very ground that it would delay matters. Dr. Langdon-Down pointed out that the only proposal he had endorsed was a purelv voluntary one. that the peison concerned should give his consent to sterilisation, or that some responsible person should give consent . for him. He did not think that sterilisation would do all that was claimed for it. but he wanted liberty for the profession to sterilise on eugenic grounds where they were satisfied that . this would he advantageous .in suitable cases. Most of those who dealt with mental defectives knew of a few cases where it would be of the greatest Irenefit, to sterilise. Dr H. B. Brackeiiburv (the chairman) expressed the view that the treatment of mental deficiency was not wliollv a medical question—it was a social question. AVl,at the profession was concerned with was the methods of preventing propagation.