Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-11

penitentiaries are in good health: II per
cent in fair health. II crime is a disease
! II would appear from a superficial view
that the ailment Is little related to what is
generally so termed.
About 20 per cent OF criminals In the few
! prisons so far investigated appear TO be
normal persons who have fallen from tho
straight and narrow path simply through
bad association or unhappy accident They
are not criminals at heart. and perhaps
would not again commit a msdeed.
A uniform study of criminals brains
would be important part OF the work
Comparatively few brains OF criminals have
been studied. and there has been little
agreement in the results obtained. The fact
that the average criminal travels much
about the world favors a deveiupsneert OF
his intelligence Forty-eight per cent OF
2i,1o3 criminals stigated by our bureau
Of education had been educated In grammar
schools. per cent in high schools or acsid-
enhes per cent In colleges 20 per cent in
private elementary schools and IS per cent
were illiterate
Whether present school customs have a
tendency to generate abnormaiity in chill
dren Is problem which has been brought
10 the front by experiments in child study
made in this country. 1t has been pointed
out that country districts. where pressure
OF the school Is less. there is also less
crime than in the cities. and that men,
who feel this pressure the more when
young. commit four times as many offenses
and six times as many crimes as women.
Child study In our schools has demonstrate
ed one feature OF our educational system
which results in degeneration. This is the
Keeping OF children N school during the
trying period Of puberty During puberty
the body grows in length at the cost Of
cnest development. The arteries increase
In length but little. relatively in diameter
Ihus increased strain Is placed on the
heart and lungs The nerves are in a DELI
cate condition. vet during this period school
outies are Increased and an undermining Of
of
vital force Is demanded for growth
Senses Of Criminals obtuse.
The work with Instruments of precision
Is expected to profit much to pure science
There arc many notions as to characteris-
tics OF the various abnormal classes but the
data uniformly collected are insufficient as
yet to picture the average criminal or mem
dicant for instance. Because criminals are
supposed to approach the lower animal
more nearly than does normal man It has
been reasoned that his senses are necessa-
rfly keener than those OF his law-abidng
brother But preliminary Investigations
indicate that delinquent mans senses are
the less acute. In touch and sensitiveness
to pain he Is very ohuse. When the eyes
or several hundred young criminals and
students were compared the delinquent
showed double the percentage of color
blindness found in the normals. Obtuseness
of the left ear is found to be predominant
in criminals, is also lefthandedness
Duller sensibility in the right than in the
left side and a prepOnderance of the right
side of the skull and brain are chara cter-
istics rated in large number OF criminals
examined Inasmuch the left side of
mans brain controls the right side of his
body, and vice versa, all of this has led to
the problem as to whether the average
criminal is controlled by the opposite brain
hemisphere from that which controls the
average normal man.
The Habitual Criminal.
The habitual criminal u.s. of course the
most dangerous element of society.
Superficial investigation indicates that one
in every ten of criminals belongs 20
this class. The habitual criminal or "recid-
ivst'' finds nothing detestable in crime.
but makes 1t a trade. His reform is rare
under existing systems Of discipline and
education. The men are fearless In rob-
berry murder but the women are more
prone to cunning and revenge.
Both sexes greatly resemble the insane.
and some criminoiogiSts class them as IN
the first stages OF insanity. inasmuch
the insane before their malady is apparent.
are often given to stealing. deceiving, forg-
ing and concealing.
The laboratory feature Of the projected
institution will be to a great extent in thu
saddle The most important part Of the
preliminary research outlined Will be the
sending of represent atives to federal and
state institutions, the data to be later COM
bined and Summar ized for general use. The
history, genealogy and all particulars con-
corning selected abnormals Will be pryed
into Wherever convenient instruments OF
precision win be applied to measure speed
of thought, acuteness of sensation. sc.
Wherever possible post-mOrtem work will
be done and the microscopical anatomy of
the brain studied.
1t is proposed to have the work conduct
ed under the Department of Justice.
JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS, Jr.