The Size of Mental Defective Boys

Abstract

It is often stated that mental defectives are physiologically inferior to the rest of the population (Penrose, 1949), and Tredgold (1952) states that the life history of many of them shows a defective vitality of both body and mind. Goddard (1912) showed that stature and weight could be positively correlated with intelligence. These impressions are borne out by a casual glance at the inmates of any mental defective hospital but it seems worth while to take a closer look at the physical size of mental defective children for not all of them show this depression of growth. Mongols are a group of defectives who are obviously inferior physically to their normal brethren as far as height is concerned. The group of children suffering from organic lesions