Annual report of the Board of Control : 6th, 1919.

Date:
1919
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Annual report of the Board of Control : 6th, 1919. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    82/272 (page 73)
    Occupations.—Our Board are actuated by two chief motives in persistently pressing for the provision of organised industrial employment for all mentally defective persons under care in Certified Institutions, narnel}^, the great benefit to the individual that follows regular occupation, and the possibility of reducing the cost of his maintenance. Both are important, but, from the point ol view of treatment, the former much more so than the latter. The marked improvement that has taken place of late in the provision by Managers of occupations suitable for patients suffering from varying grades of defect is encouraging; it is, in fact, rare now to find the rooms full of unoccupied persons that were considered unavoidable at one time. More commonly the recent reports of visits contain statements such as the following:—“ With the exception of the low grade children in hospital, nearly every child and every adult seemed to have something to do, and to be doing it. I saw no case sitting idle, with the result that there is an atmosphere of activity and happiness that reflects great credit on the Superintendent and her Steff.” Activity means mental progress, physical improvement, and contentment—idleness the reverse, with discredit to the whole work. Unfortutiately there are still some institutions behind others in this respect, some that are content with providing a large staff of attendants and nurses to supervise idle patients irstead of a staff of instructors to teach and employ them. These, in the main, are places for the reception of paying patients, whose parents and friends are said to object to their “ working.” If this be so the^sooner some effort is made by Superintendents to educate these objectors to the need for employment as a thera¬ peutic agency the better ; it is inconceivable that friends, who presumably have the interest of their patients at heart, would continue to raise difficulty were the advantages of occupation properly placed before them. General Health.—AVhen due regard is had to the low vitality of a large proportion of cases admitted to Certified Institutions, and the impaired power of resisting disease consequent thereon, the general health of these establishments during the year under review may be considered on the whole reasonably satis¬ factory. Although, as the accompanying table shows, a comparatively large number of inmates have been admitted to hospital for treatment at some time or other during the year, a considerable percentage of these— about 38—are included under the composite heading “ all ether diseases ” at the foot of the first column. This heading, whilst it includes serious diseases of varied character occurring in small numbers (con¬ sequently without significance from a standpoint of incidence), for the most part represents patients suffering from temporary minor ailments, calling for treatment extending over a few hours only. In confirmation of this it will be noted that, of 1,310