Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-11
NOW MY IDEA is THIS
Daily Talks With Thinking Phadelphiams on Subjects They
KnoU Best
.nOtU Best

other of many reasons, without being neces
sarily feeble -mindedness or congenital de-
fectivencss. Adenoids and tonsis early in
life are frequent causes. But, whatever it
may be, the clinic is usually able to To-
cate it.
Then the family, the teacher or the social
worker is told what is best to be done.
whether that be special classes for the child.
an institution for the feeble minded or the
correction of medical conditions. I have
frequently seen cases in which backward
child, after study in special classes, was
able to return to school and Immediately
take the grade where its age required 1t to be-
Special Glasses Beneficial
'ln a general way, should say that
about per cent Of school children derive
beneht from these special classes. These, 1t
should be remembered, are rarely the feeble
minded, but children who for one reason or
another are backward. These special classes
are small, not more than fifteen or at the
most twenty being in them.
I'm these classes a good deal of attention
Is paid to each child and a good deal of
attention to manual things rather than to
book work. The teachers find out first of
all where the trouble began In case of spe-
clhc deficiency, such as the study of arith-
metlc, for example, and then try to correct
II. Ihe idea Is to trace the trouble to its
source and then to correct the source.
But many adults as well as children come
70 these mental clinics. and there arc many
persons who are afflicted with the beginnings
OF insanity. In fact. the adults considerably
outnumber the children, roughly in the pro.
portion OF three adults to one child. In
nearly every case of this kind We nre able
to give aid. Mental deficiency in adults
more commonly the milder Of the mental
troubles. generally is not recognized as such
by the family or even by the patient him
self. 'N
In pennsylvania today there are not as
many state mental hospitals as there should
De, ana they are nearly all badly over
crowded. The system of caring for these
cases In Pennsylvania Is different from tbst
in most other States. Here there is mixed
STATE ana county care, and the State en-
courages the counties to build and maintain
county hospitals.
But But the county hospital is never so good
as that OF the State, although some of tbem
are fairly good. The reason for II Ia this.
Inc overhead charges and the cost of
maintenance are the same for both State and
county But the cost of maintaining, a
hS hhoSpl,ai looms much larger In county
the County Commissioners with an eve ~
economy try to keep the costs down. They
may 90 so. but 1t must never be forpotten
that TINS Is always done at the expense ~
the patient Vi
What Is Needed
ihere are not enough nurses and tho
PHYSICIANS are not paid well enough for Tho
dimcult and laborious work which tbcv boyo
TO 90. What Is needed in this State Js n
complete change from combined State o,J
county care to complete State care rTbis ~
one or the most important and difHcult ~
the mental hygiene problems in Pennsvj.
wanna todaN, and just how 1t will be worked
out is impossible to say now.
Thus the patients in mental troubles ,,ho
i've In county where there is n cornt''
hospital are really pcnalized. because they
are Obliged to go to their county hosnitnj
wherc they do not get the care given to ntbo,,
persons VINO. living in a county which has
no hoSpltal, may 90 to the State bosnitnI
am not blaming the counties for this no.
cause the Commissioners must kccn dow,
their expenses, but the system which MAKE
surh things possible Is wrong and should
be corrected as soon as possible.
THE laws of Pennsylvania relating n m.
insane ana mentally deficient are now under
revision by commission OF which n
Frazier. the president of our assoc;ntio, ~,
y member. There has been no revision sircs
lnS"' Many OF the old laws were excellent
ana thrSe have been retained. while tho
hope for much In this direction NJ tbo rort W.
session Of the Legislature. "'N'
Finally. in our work in mental h,o,o,,.
we are trying for three great things Era.
special classes for the children, second a.,
establishment Of more mental cIinirS I '"I
third, better care for the nnticnts and
change from the system Of combined STAT
ana county care to complete State care