The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-05

Mental Tests for Immigrants


 In recent years more attention has been paid to keeping mental defec- tives out of the United States than ever before. The government has made the entrance requirements for immigrants broader in every way and a phase of the medical examination that is just now attracting much at tention is the system employed for determining whether or not an inn migrant is mentally defective. Curi- ously enough, many immigrants who look defective pass the mental exami- nations without any trouble, while others of prepossessing appeararcccc are found to be defective. As it is impossible, even for an expert, to de- tect feeble-minded peyson by mere ly looking at himy some highly eff fective tests haye< been devised by Dr. Knox, Drx GTwyn and other surgeons -s5fr |f1ey United States health service The tests have been tried with much success at Ellis Island and are now being adopted in other ports of the country reached by immigrant ships.
 The insane and the imbecile are not hard to detect. The new mental tests are applied to what are known as mental suspects" It is extremely interesting to watch the way in which medical officers of the health service sift out the suspects from among hun dreds of immigrants disembarking from a ship. A few questions, brief examination and sometimes a mere glance is all they need to tell whether an immigrant should be still further examined or permitted to go on to his destination. The medical cases are picked out at the same time the mental suspects are assem- bled, but the medical cases arc principally those of persons who have organic troubles that may eventually incapacitate them and make them burden to the communi- ty where they settle. The medical cases, except when contagious or in- fectious diseases are encountered, are soon disposed of. This is, in fact, an old phase of immigration inspection and one that is now so highly sys- tematized that it is practically impos- sible for diseased immigrants to run the gauntlet of doctors without being detected.
 The mental tests are designed to show how quickly subject can think. One of the simplest and also one of the most infallible tests is called the "cube test" Four blocks about an inch thick are attached to thin piece of boarding. The operator holds an- other cube from left to right, placing it on first one cube and then another. The subject is then given the block and told to follow the movements of the operator. When subject fails to follow the first and the simplest of these movements, which are five ir number, there can be little doubt oi his mental condition. However, the fact that he may be nervous and ex cited is taken into consideration anc additional tests are given him some times a day or two later, so that h, may have every opportunity to pas the examination
 The other tests consist principally O boards with sockets cut out in various shapes, the subject being required t. replace the blocks in the sockets s, they will fit. There are tests tha resemble the puzzle pictures of child hood and the block puzzles which an, small boy can put together easily Those blocks, however, are often tn cause of an immigrant being deporte, as mental defective.
 This feature of immigration inspec ton is being rapidly developed by th