454Section IV.R. Dupuy.
system, causing the appearance of puberty, (6) intellectual transforma
tion by reason of the development of thought; reasoning and co-ordination
of ideas ; the weakness and excitement of the brain are improved. There
is an increase in intellectual attention and activity. These children oftsn
make rapid progress at school, and are consequently able to maintain some
sort of position in society, to follow some trade, and often become excellent
workpeople, so long as they are kept to their own special line.
It is certain that backward children who present intellectual anomalies
ought to receive special training, and that in private schools with the
boarding system. In these schools the doctor ought to have the main and
preponderating influence, for all these backward subjects in intellect have
generally a bodily ailment, which one must attend to first, and educate them
afterwards. We will not speak of the special training applied to backward
children. This subject has already been dealt with at length by others
with more knowledge than ourselves, but we cannot conclude our remarks
without insisting that in order to perform useful work, the schoolmaster
must be the assistant and friend of the doctor.
Conclusions :—
(1) Backward children present either separately or in combination an
arrest or retardation in their bodily and intellectual evolution, and in
their sensory aptitudes.
(2) These anomalies are due to two causes, cerebral lesions, which are
generally incurable (atrophic backwardness), or else damage or abnormal
function of the glands of internal secretion, with corresponding effects
on the sympathetic system (distrophic backwardness), which is curable.
(3) The dystrophis forms of anomaly are very varied. They may
be bodily, psychial, or sensory, besides backwardness there may be
perversion also.
(4) The diagnosis of the type of backwardness is very delicate, and is
often not made except by the use of organotherapy, which acts like
a specific in the second category of cases.
(5) Combined organotherapy produces surprising results, but always
on condition that it is applied to dystrophic backwardness according to
certain rules.
