Here are the two forms in question:
Séguin's Form.—This follows out all of Séguin's pedagogical ideas, and all of his didactic methods; it is a guide for the physician, and a minute guide for the teacher who intends to adopt the Séguin methods of education. Séguin calls his biographic chart a "Monographic Picture," and divides it into five paragraphs, the fifth of which deals with the pupil's antecedents.
Monographic Picture (Séguin)
I. Portrait (Objective Morphological Examination)
- Age.
- Sex.
- Temperament, health.
- Illnesses, accessory infirmities.
- Detailed configuration of the cranium.
- Configuration of the face.
- Proportional relation between cranium and face.
- Inequality of the two sides of cranium and face.
- Hair, skin.
- Proportional relation between the trunk and the limbs.
- Inequality of the two sides of the trunk and limbs.
- General attitude of the body.
- Attitude of the head.
- Attitude of the trunk.
- Attitude of the lower limbs.
- Attitude of the upper limbs.
- Attitude of the hand and fingers.
- Configuration of the organs of speech, and their possible relation to the organs of generation; dentition.
- Configuration of the thorax.
- State of the vertebral column.
- State of the abdomen.
II. Physiological Examination
- Activity, general and applied.
- Apparent state of the nervous system.
- General irritability of the nervous system.
- Irritability of special groups of nerves.
- Cries, groans, singing, muttering, etc.
- The change which certain stimulants such as cold, heat, electricity, odours, etc., produce upon irritability and sensibility, general or special.
- Probable state of the brain.
- Voluntary articular flexions.
- Locomotion.
- Positions, recumbent, seated, standing, walking, ascending, descending.
- Running.
- Jumping.
- Grasping objects.
- Dropping objects.
- Catching objects.
- Throwing objects.
- Ability to dress, eat, etc., without aid.
- Probable state of the spinal marrow.
- Probable state of the organic nerves.
- Probable state of the sensory nerves.
- Probable state of the motor nerves.
- Difference of action between the sensory nerves and the motor nerves.
- Inequality of action of the motor nerves and sensory nerves on the two sides of the body.
- The muscular system, contractibility of muscles, and condition of sphincter muscles in particular.
- Muscular movements.
- Voluntary movements.
- Automatic movements depending on the condition of the sympathetic nerve.
- Automatic movements depending on the state of the central nervous system.
- Spasmodic movements.
- Coordinated and disassociated movements.
- Sense of touch.
- Sense of taste.
- Sense of smell.
- Sense of hearing.
- Sense of sight.
- Erectility.
- The voice, abnormal tones.
- Speech.
- Assimilative functions.
- Unnatural appetites.
- Manner of taking food.
- Mastication.
- Swallowing.
- Digestion.
- Evacuation of fæces and urine, voluntary or involuntary; other excretions, saliva, nasal mucus, tears, sebaceous humor, sweat, perspiration, etc.
- Pulse.
- Respiration.
- Sleep.
III. Psychic Examination
- Attention.
- Sensorial perception.
- Intellectual perception.
- Deduction.
- Coordination.
- Inventiveness.
- Unrelated memories.
- Foresight and forethought.
- To what extent are these intellectual operations, when they exist, applied to concrete phenomena, mixed phenomena (i.e., concrete and abstract) and to ideas of a moral nature?
- Are the general ideas of time, space, conventional measurements, relative value, intrinsic or arbitrary, understood and applied in actual daily life?
- Comparison.
- Judgment.
- Reflection.
- Have the ordinary rudiments, such as the alphabet, reading, writing, drawing, arithmetic, been taught to the pupil or not, and can they be taught in his present state?
- Have his attitude toward music and mathematics, enjoyment of singing, irresistible desire to sing, been brought about naturally?
- Has he a perception of the physical proportion of bodies, such as colour, form, dimensions, relations between the parts to form a whole?
IV. Examination Regarding Instincts and Sentiments
- Instinct of self-preservation.
- Instincts of order, readjustment,
- preservation and destruction
- of objects.
- Aggressiveness, cruelty.
- Instinct of assimilation and
- possession.
- Is the child obedient or
- rebellious, respectful or
- impertinent, affectionate
- or cold, rude or courteous,
- grateful, jealous, merry or sad,
- proud, vain or indifferent,
- courageous or cowardly, timid or
- venturesome, circumspect or
- thoughtless, credulous or
- suspicious?
- Has the child a sense of abstract
- right and wrong or only in relation
- to a small number of acts that
- concern himself?
- Does the child show spontaneity
- an active will—the kind of will
- which is the initial cause of all
- human actions producing intellectual
- or social results?
- Has the child only a negative will
- associated with instincts and does
- he protest energetically against
- any extraneous will that tends to
- compel the idiot to concern himself
- with social or abstract phenomena?
- Finally, in what direction and
- within what limits has the idiot
- passed beyond the boundaries of his
- ego in order to enter into physical,
- instinctive, intellectual and moral
- communication with the phenomena
- which surround him?
V. Etiology
- Origin of father and mother.
- Their constitution.
- Hereditary diseases.
- Place of residence at the time of
- the child's conception,
- gestation, birth and lactation.
- Possible causes of idiocy.
- Circumstances worthy of note during
- conception.
- Circumstances worthy of note during
- gestation, delivery, lactation.
- Serious illnesses of the child
- during the first year.
- Infirmities and illnesses from the
- first year down to the first
- symptoms of idiocy. Progress,
- retrogression or stationary state
- from the child's birth down to the
- time of examination.
If we realise that this model for a biographic chart was proposed more than one-half a century ago, it makes us marvel at the modern spirit of its concepts: it actually considers the relation between the development of the trunk and of the limbs, the mimic attitudes of the body, the constitution, etc., all of which concepts are foreign to the studies of the medical clinics from which Séguin must have drawn his inspiration, since even to the present day the tendency in the clinics is toward purely analytical investigation, with the exception of Professor De Giovanni's clinic.
In the model proposed by Sergi, the examination was required to be made twice: first upon the reception of the pupil, and again at his departure with the modifications shown below:
BIOGRAPHICAL CHART FOR SCHOOLS (SERGI)
Table I.—Physical Observations
| On entering school | On leaving school | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Year | Class | Year |
|
|
||
BIOGRAPHICAL CHART FOR SCHOOLS (SERGI)
Table II.—Psychological Observations
| On entering school | On leaving school | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Year | Class | Year |
|
|
||
The two other biographic charts that deserve specific mention are, unlike the above, charts in actual use, since they have both been recently introduced into practical service.
The first, which I reproduce in entirety, is the one adopted by the Commune of Bologna for its schools; the second is the one introduced, for the purpose of studying the inmates, into the government reformatories, of Italy, that have recently been transformed into educational institutions, into which a number of important reforms have been introduced, through the influence of scientific pedagogy—among others, these biographical charts and the anthropological researches connected with them.
Biographic chart for elementary schools:
| District of | Year 191— | |
| Class | ||
| COMMUNE OF BOLOGNA Office X.—Hygiene Biographic Chart of the Pupil |
||
|---|---|---|
| Name and Surname | ||
| Age | ||
| Place of birth and residence | ||
| Parents' Place of birth and vocation | ||
| The Teacher. | ||
| State of skin, of the subcutaneous tissue, the muscles, the lymphatic glands | Illnesses incurred during the school year | |
| Head | horizontal circumference | |
| maximum width | ||
| maximum length | ||
| Cephalic index | Total number of absences | |
| Face | height | |
| width | ||
| Facial index | Number of absences on account of illness | |
| Hair | colour | |
| form | ||
| Eyes | keenness of sight | Profit derived from instruction |
| hypermetropia | ||
| myopia | ||
| colour sense | ||
| colour of iris | Conduct and character in school | |
| Hearing, acuteness | ||
| Teeth | form | Affection toward parents and school-mates |
| number decayed | ||
| number missing | ||
| Anomalies of development | Special observations | |
| Weight of body | at the beginning, | |
| at the end of the year | ||
| Total spread of arms | ||
| Stature | ||
| Pulmonary capacity | ||
| The Physician | the Master | |
The biographic chart of the reformatories is among the most complete; nevertheless, it is based upon antiquated methods for the study of the individual, including, for instance, the facial index and ignoring that of the stature; and limiting the psychic examination to abstract notes (reflection, attention, etc.). It constitutes, however, an anthropological record, for it follows the child throughout his whole residence in the reformatory.
What is called, in the chart in question, the moral account, corresponds to our third subdivision in biographic histories, in so far as it represents a summary of the daily records. Under this head mention is made of the moral balance, and the notes tell us that it is founded upon "punishments" and "rewards." In so far as they treat of disciplining children, these notes are not to be taken as a model; they are evidently a relic of antiquated educative methods that have survived amid the efforts of a new scientific movement. There is no mention made of medical treatment bestowed upon the children, who may very often owe their so-called moral anomalies to a pathological condition which must frequently be aggravated by punishments. It is well known that many normal children have periods of agitation which is manifested by the most various kinds of action (impulsiveness, sexual excesses, rebellion), followed by periods of calm during which the child exhibits the opposite characteristics (industriousness, obedience, etc.). The biographic chart is quite likely to show a record of punishments and rewards corresponding to these contrasted periods; and in this respect it follows antiquated pedagogic methods, which are precisely what need to be reformed under the light of science.
An illustration of this is contained in the biographic history of an idiot boy in the asylum of the Bicêtre, a report of which is given below: the periodic anomalies of character in the boy should be noticed. Many epileptic children do not have convulsions, but exhibit instead anomalies of character which become permanent and are naturally aggravated by fatigue and punishment; and the great majority of such children pass eventually into reformatories.
In the forms customarily used for biographic charts, there is liberal provision for daily notes. Accordingly, in the biographic chart of the child in question there are a number of blank pages on which casual notes have been entered (diary). Every fact deserving of notice has been entered; facts of a physio-pathological nature, such as illnesses, strength, endurance in running, appetite, outbursts of anger without cause; school-notes regarding the progress attained by the child in school, especially when he has overcome serious difficulties, correction of incidental defects of speech, etc., and notes of a psycho-moral nature regarding acts committed by the child, tending to show the state of his feelings.
The master has a general register which may be compared to the daily entry book used in book-keeping, and in which all the notes of the day are entered. Days and even months frequently pass without any entry being made in regard to some particular child. From this general register the master later draws up individual summaries which are then transcribed into the corresponding biographic history of each child.
Once in so many years all the measurements and observations are repeated in their entirety (e.g., at the most important periods of growth with especial study of the epoch of puberty). When the child is definitely discharged from the school, a general summary is drawn up; in such a case the biographic chart represents that individual's own personal history; a human and social document of the highest interest to anyone who wishes to know himself, and continue his own self-education! It might serve as a useful guide to a man of intelligence.
These registers and biographic charts may be compared to the record of points and the report cards that are in use to-day in the schools. Even the report cards which are obtained through a fatiguing process of averages represent a summary of notes taken every day by the teacher (although not every day for every pupil). But the report card is of no practical use to the man who wishes to draw up a faithful record of the education he has received that will serve to guide him through life.
Since there do not yet exist any complete biographic histories relating to normal children, I shall reproduce one of an idiot boy who was received into the great Paris hospital for defectives; this history is interesting because it is the result of the methods of Séguin who was the founder of the anthropological movement in pedagogy; it would be still more interesting if we could offer the complete history of a normal man or of a wayward boy redeemed by education. But let us hope for this in the near future!
The summary of the history which I here reproduce does not contain the objective examination of the boy at the time of his reception; because that would only be a repetition of what has already been described, while the part which it now interests us to illustrate is that containing the summaries of the diaries. The antecedents, however, are given because they are indispensable for an understanding of the patient's personality.
Summary of the Biographic History of an Idiot Boy
Admitted at the Age of 3 Years, and Dismissed at the Age of 17
Outline: Father an alcoholic.—Mother subject to migraine.—No consanguinity between the parents. Equality of ages (difference of two years).—A sister died of convulsions.—Conception during an alcoholic excess on the part of the father.—Albuminuria during pregnancy.—The child cried both night and day.—Twitchings of the body and head.—Did he ever have convulsions?—Fits of anger.—At the time of admission, he could neither speak nor walk (July 30, 1881, age 3 years).—The child has involuntary emissions of fæces and urine (is uncleanly).
September, 1884.—The child has learned to walk.
1885.—Development of speech.—The child is beginning to give notice of its natural necessities.
1886.—The child is no longer uncleanly.—The twitchings of head and body and the fits of anger have diminished.
1887-1890.—Progressive improvement, with alternate progressive and stationary periods.
1891.—Description of the patient.
1892-1897.—Physical and intellectual evolution.—Progress in studies.—Acquirement of a trade.—Results.
Remote Antecedents. (Notes furnished by the mother.)—Father: 35 years old, tailor's cutter, large, strong, of calm temperament, a smoker; numerous excesses of alcoholic beverages, especially absinthe—as many as eleven a day; venereal excesses; came home intoxicated almost every day; never had convulsions in infancy, nor any nervous shock; suffered only from eczema. No syphilis.—Father's Family: Paternal grandfather a mason, sober, died of heart disease. Paternal grandmother, of calm temperament, enjoyed good health. No other information regarding paternal ancestry.—Mother: 33 years old, seamstress, good health, regular features; no convulsions in infancy. Menstruated at age of 13 years, married at 20. Suffered from migraine since she was nine years old. These headaches lasted three days and occurred at the menstrual periods, ceasing throughout pregnancy and lactation. The symptoms were: headache, buzzing in the ears, to the point of deafness, and vision of sparks before the eyes. The attacks terminated with vomiting. Mother's Family: Father sober and in good health; mother died of influenza. No information regarding either the ascendant or collateral branches; but there seem to have been no other cases of nervous disease in the family. No consanguinity, no disparity in ages. Brothers and Sisters of the Patient: The mother of D—— had five children; the first, a boy ten years and a half old, intelligent, no convulsions; the second, a girl, died at fourteen months, after having convulsions that continued for eight days; the third, a girl, seven years old, intelligent, no convulsions; the fourth, the patient in question; the fifth, a girl, born after D——'s admission to the asylum; she is intelligent and healthy, no convulsions.
Near Antecedents. The child's mother is convinced that the conception took place during alcoholic intoxication. Pregnancy was accompanied by generalised œdema from the fifth month onward, due to albuminuria. No eclampsia. No fainting fits, etc. Delivery timely, difficult, but accomplished naturally. The child at birth was strong and not asphyxiated. Was nursed by the mother for the first two months, after which he depended upon hired nurses and artificial feeding (was sent to the country where he was fed chiefly from the bottle). Was returned to the mother at the age of eleven months; could not walk; would eat anything within reach of his hands, coal, excrements. Cried continually, day and night, to the great disturbance of the neighbours. Cut his first tooth at five months; and at the age of three years the first dentition was not yet completed. Has a habit of swaying his body forward and backward; beats his head against the wall, the chairs, etc., and strikes his forehead with his clenched fist. Has habitual constipation. Is extremely affectionate, loves to be caressed. Yet he will bite anyone who approaches him, including his brothers and sisters. It cannot be learned whether when he was staying with the wet-nurse he ever had convulsions. It is certain that he had none after his return to the family. The habit of onanism dates from the time of his return from the nurse. Vaccinated at 13 months, slight attack of varioloid at the age of two years; no other infectious diseases. No manifestation of scrofula; no traumatism.
Objective Examination of the Patient (omitted).—The history is accompanied by eight photographs of the boy, taken respectively at the ages of 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 15, and 16 years, three of which, namely, those taken at the ages of 6, 11 and 16, are reproduced on page (278).
Diaries
July 2.—He is uncleanly (emissions of fæces and urine). Does not know how to behave at table; when he eats he spills his food over his clothing. Is gluttonous but not voracious; he does not steal the food of his companions, but he protests when he sees food given to others and not to him. Is mistrustful, hides his bread for fear that it will be taken from him; and if any one takes notice of this, he utters a cry of rage. He is affectionate, very timid, jealous, obstinate, grumbling, somewhat sullen, seldom laughs. Although weak, he fights his companions and frequently falls into fits of anger; then he flings himself on the floor and beats his head against the furniture. He sways his body forward and backward. His power of speech is limited to three words: papa, mamma, and no. He is able to make himself understood when he wants anything.
August-September.—Two slight attacks of ophthalmia. The child has now learned to walk.
January-March, 1885.—Otitis (Inflammation of the ear).
August.—The ability to speak is developing progressively. He has begun to give notice of his natural necessities; is seldom uncleanly, so that it is now possible to let him wear trousers. The habit of balancing his body back and forth is tending to disappear. The accesses of anger have become rarer. He is less jealous and plays indiscriminately with his companions.
January, 1886.—The improvement continues. D—— is now very attentive in school. When out walking he takes an interest in the things he sees and asks for explanations. Is doing well in the first gymnastic exercises. Makes a good appearance.
March.—D—— has now become altogether cleanly. Furthermore, he knows how to wash, dress and undress himself alone. At table, can handle his spoon and fork quite properly, but cannot yet manage his knife. Is less gluttonous; his speech is fully developed. Although he cannot keep still in school and constantly changes his position, he has succeeded in learning to know his letters, the different colours, etc., can count up to 50, and can name the greater part of the objects contained in the boxes used for object lessons. The balancing of the body has completely disappeared. D—— has a tendency toward onanism. Accesses of anger an still noted, during which he is very vulgar.
December.—Condition stationary. Misconduct in class, frequent fits of anger, during which he abuses everyone and strikes his smaller comrades.
March, 1887.—D—— is calmer and does better work. Can count up to sixty. His general knowledge has increased. Can tell his age, his name, the name of his parents, what their employment is, where they live, etc.
April, 1888.—The improvement continues. His behavior is better. Has learned the names of materials, of plane surfaces, of solids; can distinguish vowels from consonants. It has been impossible to induce him to trace simple strokes even upon the blackboard.
December.—Is more diligent and has taken a fancy to writing.
January-June, 1889.—Is in the infirmary on account of anal ulcers.
December.—Notable improvement in general knowledge. Has begun to write certain letters in his copybook.
December, 1890.—D——'s conduct is good. He is no longer disorderly; and if at times it is necessary to reprove him, he recognises his fault, cries, and promises to do better. He fears above all that his misconduct will be reported to his mother. Has a fairly accurate notion of right and wrong, is no longer so extremely jealous and shows affection for his comrades. Has learned to write syllables well; is able to copy short paragraphs; can do simple sums in addition; gives clear answers to questions. Walking, running, jumping, going up and down stairs have become easy for him. The child uses his fork and knife at table; chews his food well, does not suffer from any digestive disturbance. Is orderly, and attends to himself in all details of his toilet.
April 21, 1891: Objective Examination.—The child's face has a uniformly ruddy complexion; lips full-blooded; skin smooth, without scars or eruptions, excepting a slight scaliness due to eczema. Two small ganglia in the left submaxillary region, but no others in any other locality. Cranium symmetrical; volume and form normal. Frontal and parietal nodules slightly prominent; occipital nodule quite prominent (pentagonoid cranium). Hair light blonde, abundant, fine, growing low upon the forehead. Posterior vortex normal, forehead wide, but not high. Visage oval; with a slight depression of the nostril and corner of the mouth on the right side; has on the whole an intelligent expression; it is mobile and reflects the moods and feelings natural to boyhood. The superciliary arches are only slightly arched. The eyebrows are chestnut in colour and scanty; the lashes are abundant and long. Iris dark blue; pupils equal in size and react under the influence of light. No functional disturbance, and no lesion in regard to the eyes. Field of vision normal. D—— recognises all the colours. Nose small, and straight, with a pronounced aperture of the nostrils. Zygomata regular, without exaggerated prominences; naso-labial furrows barely indicated. Aperture of mouth very wide and habitually half open. Lips thick and slightly drooping. Tongue normal. Palatine vault distinctly ogival. Tonsils enlarged; the boy is subject to tonsillitis. All these parts show quite a blunted sensibility, which permits of an examination of the pharynx, without causing nausea. Chin rounded, without indentation. Ears long and thick, the outer edge is normal, including the fold of the helix; the ears protrude conspicuously from the cranium and are very peculiar in shape; namely, the upper two-thirds of the external ear form with the lower one-third an obtuse angle of such nature that the concha or shell really represents the outline of a very deep and almost hemispherical sea-shell. The lobule is thick, regular, and notably detached. The ear is the seat of frequent attacks of erythema, complicated by swelling. Neck rather short and quite stout; circumference 26 centimetres. The lobes of the thyroid glands are plainly palpable to the touch.
Thorax and Abdomen.—No notable peculiarities. Auscultation and percussion show that the internal organs are normal. Body is hairless. Genital organs are normal. The upper and lower limbs are normal in all their segments.
Icthyosis of the skin on thighs and knees. General sensibility normal; usual physiological reflex actions.
Treatment.—Regular application of the medico-pedagogical method: tonics during the winter; hydrotherapy annually, from the first of April to the first of November.
April 24.—The mother, finding the child much improved, takes him home on leave (March) and later (end of April) requests his dismissal, which is granted reluctantly, in the fear that the boy may lose part of what he has so laboriously gained.
May 19, 1892.—The boy, having become insubordinate and not making satisfactory progress in the public school (to which he was sent, so that he would not be present at the scenes between the mother and the father, who is habitually intoxicated), has been sent back to the asylum.
June.—The physical evolution continues. The child is very timid and sensitive, cannot bear to be reproved and cries when he is corrected. Reads fluently, but without expression. Has begun to write familiar words from dictation. During his absence from the asylum he learned to know the numbers and to do simple examples in addition and subtraction.
Treatment: School work; gymnastics; hydrotherapy.
July.—D—— is at present conducting himself in a way difficult to control; he plays ill-natured jests upon his companions; places needles and tacks in seats; during the assembly he amuses himself by sticking little pins into the backs of the girls who sit in front of him.
December.—The boy is very lazy, and often refuses to read or to do his tasks; he grins and sneers if he is corrected. But he carries out very well all the movements in the lower gymnastic course. Has been sent to the tailor's work-shop and seems to have taken a fancy to the trade.
April, 1893.—D—— has become quite reasonable, does good work in school, does not like to be inactive, has ceased to grin and sneer. His writing has improved; his reasoning power is good; he is careful of his clothes to the point of vanity; eats with propriety, has ceased to bolt his food; yet it is still noticed that he has a tendency to appropriate the wine of his companions.
June.—D—— is passing through a bad period; he laughs at everything that is said to him, is very obstinate, annoys his comrades, tears up copy-books, breaks pens, etc. Is careless regarding his clothing; makes a disturbance at night in the dormitory.
December.—Same state. Tries to smoke; is unwilling to do any work; laughs at everybody; dresses with great carelessness; it is necessary to compel him to wash his hands and face. No sign of puberty.
December, 1894.—Notable improvement; D—— reads quite readily, writes quite well, recognises all ordinary objects, their use, and their colour; has a conception of time. Is docile, neat, industrious in school work, is attentive to explanations and understands them. In the work-shop he continues to show progress.
January-June, 1895.—The improvement continues; D—— has begun to learn the multiplication table; he is well-mannered and scrupulous in his behaviour; excellent in gymnastics. In the tailor's work-shop he makes marked progress; he has already learned to put together an entire garment by himself, and he knows how to use the machine. From time to time he has periods of indolence; and this happens more often in the work-shop than in the class.
Puberty.—A slight down has begun to appear upon his upper lip.
July 8.—According to the night nurse, D—— had an attack of epilepsy during the night; he never had one before, and he has not had one since.
July 10.—Troubled sleep, nightmare, unintelligible and threatening words.
January, 1896.—Very notable improvement in class. The boy profited above all from the lessons about natural objects, in which he takes much interest. From time to time he shows a tendency to dissipation and gambling. Is docile, cleanly, and neat in personal appearance to the point of vanity. The master of the work-shop is very much pleased with him; he works well with the machine. Is doing well in gymnastics and in singing.
Puberty.—His beard has begun to grow even on his cheeks.
June.—Hand-writing, far from improving, seems to be growing worse. On the contrary, it is noticed that he has made progress in arithmetic. Can perform all four primary operations and has begun to solve easy problems. His general knowledge has improved. Has become a good tailor's workman.
January-June, 1897.—The boy prefers the work-shop to the school and for some time the mistake has been made of leaving him wholly in the work-shop.
December.—Same state from point of view of his studies; character docile, conduct good, personal care and neatness satisfactory. Works well and rapidly in the work-shop; can make complete suits of clothing; uses the machine dexterously; is beginning to cut out garments.
Puberty complete, no onanism. The right eyelids are less widely open than the left by nearly a quarter. The patient says that he does not see so well with the right eye as with the left, and cannot distinguish with it even large letters unless they are very near.
TABLE OF WEIGHT AND STATURE
| Measurements | 1890 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | January | July | January | July | January | July | January | July | January | |
| Weight in kilograms. | 25 | 34.700 | 35.200 | 35 | 37.800 | 39.800 | 44 | 46 | 51 | 53.700 |
| Stature in metres. | 1.22 | 1.39 | 1.42 | 1.42 | 1.50 | 1.53 | 1.58 | 1.61 | 1.66 | 1.69 |
MEASUREMENTS OF THE HEAD IN CENTIMETRES
| 1891 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | January | January | January | July | January | July | January | July | January | |
| Maximum horizontal circumference. | 50.2 | 50.2 | 50.2 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 54 |
| Anterior semi-circumference. | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 34 |
| Distance from the occipito-allantoid articulation to the root of nose. | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 37 |
| Maximum antero-posterior diameter. | 17.5 | 17.8 | 17.8 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| Maximum biauricular diameter. | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 12.2 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 13 |
| Maximum biparietal diameter. | 13.5 | 14 | 14 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 14.5 |
| Maximum bitemporal diameter. | — | — | — | — | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 12 |
| Medial height of forehead. | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
In the antecedents of this patient, the only suggestions of degeneration are the alcoholism of the father and the fact that conception took place in a state of intoxication. The mother's migraine might also be considered as a nervous malady amounting to a family taint, but cannot be held responsible for so grave an abnormality as idiocy.
Consequently, it remains beyond doubt that the most interesting antecedent fact to be considered in this case is the conception during alcoholic intoxication.
The individual we are studying is a sick person; this is shown by ptosis (drooping eye-lid), the recurrent periods of agitation, the epileptic convulsion in the night detected by the night nurse.
It is interesting to observe in the photographs of the child, the alteration of expression between the periods of calm and those of agitation; in the latter the face is asymmetrical and shows contractions in the left facial region, while the right side is paretic; the paresis is also manifested by ptosis (drooping lids). During the periods of calm, on the contrary, the left side also is atonic.
In the course of the history the differences in the child's conduct in the two states are well described.
During the periods of calm, the child is attentive, docile, careful of his dress, timid, and makes progress in his studies; during the periods of agitation he is unstable, rebellious, careless, unkind to his comrades, and makes no progress whatever. At the beginning, there were no periods of calm at all; furthermore, the child had every appearance of being an idiot; medico-pedagogic treatment rendered longer and more frequent, and finally permanent, these periods of calm, during which the child's intellectual redemption became possible. The treatment did not consist solely in the education of an idiot, but also in the cure of a sick child. "At the time of admission," according to the observations in the record, "the diagnosis was retarded mentality, and that only in relation to primary instruction, because in regard to matters of common knowledge and manual work, the patient comes very near to a normal lad of average intelligence."
Such a surprising transformation of an individual is certainly deserving of admiration; but this diligently compiled study is not yet quite completed. As a matter of fact, when the education of D—— was begun, observations regarding types of stature were not yet made; but his photographs show that he was an exaggerated macroscelous type. The trade adopted by D—— which will oblige him to sit with his chest bowed over the machine, or in a kneeling position while he sews, will in all probability drive him straight along the road to tuberculosis, a malady to which his organism has singularly predisposed him. It would be interesting to follow further the history of this patient, who has been transformed from an idiot into a skilful and industrious workman.
The society, which under the guidance of science, achieved his difficult redemption, has perhaps at the same time condemned him to death.
The modern standards of pedagogical anthropology would have furnished a more far-sighted guidance in the choice of a vocation.
Meanwhile, however, this history reported by Thulié is a luminous demonstration of the folly of rewards and punishments; the only forms of intervention during the periods of agitation, which lasted for entire months, during which the boy was continually unruly, impulsive, malicious, reckless, and incapable of work, were tonics, hydrotherapy and kindly treatment.
"Punishments" would have cruelly wrecked the life of a human being who was naturally gentle, affectionate, and capable of diligent work and permanent improvement.
Something similar ought to be attempted in the reformatories. The boys who are regarded as incorrigible are frequently sick boys, with an hereditary degenerative taint, and need to live in a tranquil environment and to receive medical treatment.
The biographic charts of the reformatories give no evidence that this educative movement has as yet been understood. They show that punishments are still regarded as possessing a corrective efficacy, because the conception that the so-called delinquent children may be a pathological product and a result of disastrous family and social conditions, has not yet penetrated with sufficient clearness.
But progress along this path is surely bound to come as a result of the experience which this principle of reform has made possible.
The biographic charts have unquestionably laid the foundations of a new edifice in pedagogy.
Scientific Pedagogical Advantages of Biographic Histories:
- The biographic chart takes the place of the report cards and records of the relative marks of merit and demerit; for while these records and reports constituted a statement of effects, altogether empirical, the biographic chart investigates the causes and in this way furnishes pedagogy with a scientific basis. There is no need of further demonstration. The principal consequences of the above indicated progress are two in number.
- The biographic chart, replacing the earlier classifications, raises the teacher's standard of culture by directing him along a scientific path, associates the teacher's work with that of the physician, and makes the teacher a far-sighted director of the development and perfectioning of the new generations.
- The biographic chart includes a new educative movement which abolishes rewards and punishments.