The Washington herald., 1907-08-24
CRIME IN CHILDREN
Or. Arthur Macdonald Gives
Result Of Inquiry.
STUDY STILL IN IT'S INCEPTION
Specialist Says Scientific InyestiGa-
tiOn of Criminal Youth Has Hardly
Arrived at Point Where IL Can Be
Said TO Have Made Good start.
Makes Three Special Examinations.

DR.. Arthur Macdonald, Of this city.
gives in a recent issue of the Medical
Record the results Of three special stud
les made by him in Juvenile crime. One
Of them consists mainly in observations,
including careful measurements, Of the
physical defects of sixty-fve young per-
sons. Another is a special study of 200
children. from six to twelve years Of age.
in a refOrmatOry The third is a special
investigation Of a "criminal-born child
Dr. Macdonald claims only for his in
vestigations that they are suggestive OF
real facts relative to crime in young per-
sons. which may be carefully established
by further study and investigation. He
says that in the present condition of sci
entifc knowledge regarding or me and its
causes the data laid down Jy him
amount to little more than material"
for further study, and he warns against
the formation of hasty judgments from
the facts which his Investigations have
brought out
Only in It's Beginning.
DR.. Macdonald says the scientific study
Of crime is only in its inception, and
that the scientific study Of criminal youth
has hardly arrived at the point where it
can be said to have made a good be-
ginning, especially in this country
DR.. Macdonald presents his observa-
tons Of slxty-five young persons. who had
been once, at least, in the hands of the
police. or had been placed in the care
Of boards of guardians or other corrective
authorities.
While these youthful, persons have more
physical defects than people in general.
yet he thinks it is impossible to say just
how much they differ from normal per-
sons. because a sufficient number Of such
persons have not been scientifically ex-
amined and studied to form a satisfactory
basis Of comparison While the study ot
.criminOlogy is only in its beginning. DIT
Macdonald says the study of safe and
sane" persons has not been scientifically
undertaken as yet
Insanity I'm Parents.
Another table accompanying the state
ment shows that a considerable number
Of young persons examined sprung FROM
hstlS4ltS IA HApAA NdAiouS ApA us u All
sanity were conspicuous. In ( cases the
mother was insane. Il had insane rela-
tives upon the fathers or mothers side;
in Is cases epilepsy was apparent in the
parents. and in z cases the mother or
father was hysterical al times.
In p cases the father was addicted to
alcohol, in 3 cases the mother. and in 2S
cases other relatives. The most frequent
hereditary faint was nervous disease, Of
which g per cent Of those examined were
directly connected; s. per cent of those
examined had a taint toward alcoholism,
and 64 per cent toward lung diseases.
Come from Lower Classes.
OF the 200 children examined in the re-
formatory 134 were abandoned children,
l3 had been in the poorhouse, and the ma
jority OF them had committed crime be-
fore being lodged in the reformatory; -
had been vagabonds. 19 beggars 146
thieves, and 50 embezzlers.
The social surroundings Of the children
were pretty much the same They had
come from the lower classes; had about
the same school advantages, and were all
born In the same city. In 10 cases the
father had been insane and in IA the
mother. Epilepsy was found in the
fathers Of II and the mothers Of Is. and in
the brothers and sisters of :. In IS cases
mother. and in cases both parents.