H.—7

10

been sedentary, not given to playing games, and inclined to be bookish. Lads made to take their part in school games rarely go wrong in this way. Regarding the other half, some factor, such as injury to the head, sunstroke, seduction, or marked heredity, has been ascertained in the majority of cases, but there are a few instances where no cause is forthcoming. It must be borne in mind regarding young people belonging to the high school and university class that the majority would not be sent to an asylum at all, especially to a public asylum, but wouM be treated at home or in private houses. The same applies more or less to young people in general, because in them what we call " recovery " usually takes place, though, the system never regains its proper stability, and relapse is very liable to ensue later in life. Further, we have no means available for tracing the factor of past educational overpressure in the causation of insanity occurring in adult life, although we have every reason to conclude that this is a leading factor. It is obvious that the ultimate effects of " cram " will operate increasingly in this direction as the adult population comes to be more and more composed of persons who have been overpressed in mind and neglected in body. It is sufficiently grave that, say, from 20 to 30 or more per cent, of cases of acquired insanity occurring during youth in people not born below the average of intelligence should be attributable to faulty education, as well as an indefinite unascertainable proportion of those occurring in adult life. However, as I have always maintained, it is not as a cause of actual insanity that school overpressure concerns us most, but as a potent factor in giving rise to widespread degeneracy and a more or less universal dwarfing of the ultimate physical, mental, and moral stature of the whole community. Dr. Lindo Ferguson was more than justified when, replying at the Brisbane Congress nearly seven years ago, he said, " They (the doctors) must do something. Such a state of affairs could not be permitted to continue without protest and effort at reform. If they could only get the first cut into the upas-tree, they would do well." I may say that my experience as to what is going on now among school children not only shows that in many cases excessive mental work without sufficient rest or recreation is kept up throughout puberty, but that in the province, at least, overpressure is increasing rather than diminishing. For the sake of the race I have no doubt whatever that a radical change is imperatively necessary, especially in regard to the school life of girls engaged in studies for higher education. The colony ought to take warning in time from outside statistics, which leave no doubt as to the Nemesis which awaits us if we allow our best and most capable girls to impair their physique and render themselves unfit for motherhood. Statistics derived from over ten thousand girl graduates of American colleges show that only about 25 per cent, marry, that " the rate of marriage of college women is decreasing, and that the age at which marriage occurs is becoming steadily later. Not only do the college women shirk marriage, but the minority which marries shirks maternity." Further, overpressed girls when married tend to be sterile or to have puny children whom they cannot nourish. It is said that in America "if our race depended upon the rate of replenishment of the educated classes it would be doomed to speedy extinction." This supports Professor Karl Pearson's conclusions for England, that one great reason why there is an admitted dearth of men of first-rate capacity in the rising generation is the fact that in mind as well as in body the tendency is for like to produce like under normal conditions (actual genius being an exception), and the most capable and highly educated people are failing to a great extent in the matter of reproduction. Nine years ago Dr. G. E. Shuttleworth, writing on " Mental Overstrain in Education," said " The incidence of overpressure does not now fall, as was the case when Sir James Crichton Browne made his report some twelve years ago, especially upon the dull children in our elementary schools. Under the new Code it is rather the bright children who are apt to suffer. ... In high schools for girls the risk of overstrain is very great. There is seldom adequate provision for outdoor exercise and recreation, and too frequently there is an utter disregard by the school authorities of the physiological conditions of budding womanhood. Girls are expected to learn all that their brothers of corresponding age are taught, music and other feminine accomplishments being superadded. Can it be wondered at that, considering the conscientiousness in preparation and the keen spirit of emulation displayed by girls, an overloaded curriculum too often eventuates in breakdown ? " During the last eighteen months three female patients have entered the Seacliff Hospital suffering from insanity which supervened before twenty-one years of age, and was attributed solely or to a great extent to school overpressure. lam even more impressed, however, by cases which come under my notice outside the institution —cases not of insanity but of overpressure and nervous breakdown. It seems to be accepted as a standard that a girl may expect to have to do five hours of mental work out of school in the fifth and sixth forms of a secondary school, and they frequently do much more than this when working for examinations. It is admitted by both teachers and pupils that under the stress of an examination ahead from eleven to twelve hours' work a day is no unusual performance for an ambitious girl, and she may keep this up for months in succession. I have records of cases where girls have habitually commenced the day by reading lessons in bed at 5 o'clock in the morning, and others where they found that they could do their best work at from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., when the house was quiet. The new machinery for the laundry has arrived. When it is in working-order we shall be able to overtake the entire laundry-work of the hospitals at Seacliff and Orokonui. We still need a larger number of single rooms and more day-room space. The new billiard and smoking rooms for the use of the attendants are now furnished, and they are much used and appreciated. During the year a reading club was instituted for members of the staff, who, on payment of a small annual subscription, can see and read a large number of magazines and newspapers in cosy quarters. We are indebted to the central Department for aid towards our club. During this year Dr. Falconer resigned his position at Orokonui, and Dr. Donald took his place. Excellent work has at this institution, and it is serving a good purpose. The epileptics