The Association of Parents of Backward Children and the Legacy of Eugenics In
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The Forgotten Children: The Association of Parents of Backward Children and the Legacy of Eugenics in Britain, 1946 – 1960 Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy At Oxford Brookes University Rubahanna Amannah Choudhury Department of History, Philosophy and Religion Oxford Brookes University December 2015 Abstract The subject of disability has received considerable attention from various academic disciplines. Similarly, the history of eugenics has been widely examined. However, the important connection between these two topics in Britain requires further analysis, particularly in the case of children with learning disabilities. This dissertation seeks to address this historiographic imbalance and to assess the effect eugenics had on British society’s attitude towards children with learning disabilities in the mid-twentieth century. The British eugenic movement highlighted the importance of individual and collective mental and physical health. However, individuals who did not conform to this standard were alleged to be contributing to the decline of the nation. Not surprisingly, within this framework, those with learning disabilities became the subject of much public and scientific debate. Yet, eugenic measures, such as compulsory sterilisation and permanent segregation, were never legalised in the UK. Despite this, eugenic ideas of stigma were used to exclude individuals with learning disabilities from the full benefits of society. These ideas remained heavily ingrained in the public consciousness long after the supposed end of eugenics. In the late 1940s, Judy Fryd, the mother of a supposed ‘backward’ child from Hertfordshire, tired of her isolated life, penned a letter asking if others felt the same way; the response she received from members of the public was overwhelming. Soon after, the Association of Parents of Backward Children (APBC) was formed and helped to combat the deep-seated eugenic attitudes in the political and public spheres. In the main, this dissertation evaluates the APBC and its activities, relating to the social isolation and the result of stigma; the process of institutionalisation and the lack of alternative, the lack of adequate research into ‘mental deficiency’; and finally, the inherent inequality of the British education system during the 1940s and early 1950s. Ultimately, this Page | i dissertation argues that the legacy of the eugenic movement continued to shape the public perception of disability after 1945, and that the political and social transformations needed to sustain change in the field of disability began, in fact, decades prior to the emergence of the British disability movement of the late twentieth century. Page | ii Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been possible without the help and support from my supervisors, Dr Marius Turda and Dr Tom Crook. I would particularly like to thank Marius for his understanding, patience and encouragement over the years which have helped me to achieve my goals; his approach to the furthering of knowledge is nothing short of inspirational. For everything, I am extremely grateful. I would like to thank the Berendel Foundation, London and also the Centre for Medicine, Health and Society at Oxford Brookes University for their financial help. I would also like to thank all involved with the Oxford Brookes’ Centre for Medical Humanities for providing a dynamic research environment. I am also grateful to all at the Wellcome Library, London for making the extensive process of research easier to handle. Equally, I am indebted to those at the University of Manchester’s Special Collection, who helped me to find the long forgotten journals of the APBC. Special thanks also go to Leigh Banks of Mencap, who painstakingly tracked down the few remaining convention notes and sources held by Mencap and granted me access to them; and Ed Wiles for providing a personal link between the Fryds and myself. Finally, a big thank you to all my friends and family for their unconditional love and support; a special thank you to John and Yvonne Mattock for their help with editing. Lastly, I owe a great deal to my mum, Jane Glen, for teaching me that anything is possible and always believing in me. Any errors in this work are entirely my own responsibility. Page | iii Declaration I certify that this is my own original work and that all sources used in producing it have been duly acknowledged and cited in the text. Rubahanna Amannah Choudhury Page | iv List of Contents Page List of Abbreviations viii List of Illustrations ix Introduction 1 Disability: Context and Historiography 1 Eugenics: Context and Historiography 9 Judy Fryd, the APBC and Mencap 17 Aims and Structure 34 Disclaimer on the Language 36 Chapter One: Prejudice and Stigma: The Social Isolation of ‘Mental Defectives’ 39 Eugenic Influence: Stigma 40 Medical versus Social Debate 45 Medical Views 49 Restricted Lives 62 Publicity 76 Short-Stay Care: Orchard Dene 85 Chapter Two: Hidden Lives: The Physical Exclusion of ‘Backward’ Children 99 Roots of Exclusion 102 Sterilisation: A Desirable Alternative? 108 Euthanasia: A Merciful Death? 111 The Policy of Physical Exclusion in the Twentieth Century 117 Certification and Admission 133 Outdated Buildings 140 Hostels: An Interim Solution 146 The End of Institutionalisation: the Advent of the British Disability Movement 149 Chapter Three: Causes and Treatment of ‘Mental Deficiency’ 157 Eugenic Fallacies: Heredity and Genetics 161 Research Methods 166 ‘Mongolism’/Down syndrome 179 The APBC and ‘Mongolism’ 183 The ‘Mongol’ Questionnaire 191 ‘Brain Injury’ and Other ‘Mental Defects’ 199 Lise Gellner’s Lecture on the Brain 202 The Journal of Mental Deficiency Research 209 Page | v Chapter Four: Disability and the Reform of the British Education System 217 Intelligence Tests and the ‘Ineducable’ Child 218 The Responsibility of the Education Authorities 226 Deputations to Ministries 234 The Royal Commission Report 243 Extra Support: Home Helps 248 Occupation Centres: A Suitable Substitute? 252 The Beginnings of Reform: Specialised Schools 259 Next Steps: Industrial Centres 267 Conclusion 281 The Legacy of Eugenics 281 Disability 284 Contemporary Relevance 287 Illustrations 291 Bibliography 299 Page | vi List of Abbreviations APBC Association of Parents of Backward Children CBE Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire DBE Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire DCH Diploma in Child Health DIG Disablement Income Group DPM Doctor of Podiatric Medicine EES Eugenic Education Society ESN Educationally Subnormal FRCP Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians HOC House of Commons IQ Intelligence Quotient JP Justice of the Peace KBE Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire LA Local Authority LEA Local Education Authority LHA Local Health Authority LRCP Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians MA Master of Arts MBBS Bachelor of Medicine MBE Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire MD Doctor of Medicine MO Medical Officer MOE Ministry of Education Page | vii MOH Ministry of Health MOJ Ministry of Justice MOL Ministry of Labour MP Member of Parliament MRCP Member of the Royal College of Physicians MRCS Member of the Royal College of Surgeons NAMH National Association for Mental Health NAPBC National Association of Parents of Backward Children NHS National Health Service NSMHC National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children QC Queen’s Counsel RAF Royal Air Force RECI Royal Eastern Counties Institution UK United Kingdom UNICEF United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund UPIAS Union of Physically Impaired Against Segregation USA United States of America WHO World Health Organisation WW1 World War One WW2 World War Two Page | viii List of Illustrations 1. The Judy Fryd commemorative stamp (2009) 2. Children enjoying a holiday arranged by the APBC 3. Questionnaire about Diagnostic and Consultation Clinics 4. Images of Orchard Dene 5. Judy Fryd’s explanation of Mendelian heredity 6. The ‘Mongol’ Questionnaire 7. Children playing at Maidenhead occupation centre Page | ix Introduction This dissertation argues that eugenics was far more influential on contemporary and post-war understandings of disability than has previously been recognised. To achieve this, I will assess the establishment of the Association of Parents of Backward Children (hereafter APBC) in 1946 and its activities in the following decade. As will be argued, the APBC emerged as a response to longstanding eugenic biases and a growing sense of social injustice towards the so-called ‘weaker’ members of the community. Importantly, the APBC chronicled their campaigns for social acceptance and political equality in their quarterly journal, Parents’ Voice. This rich and previously unexamined source will be used to explain the legacy of eugenics and its impact on disability at personal, social and political levels in 1950s Britain. The involvement of parent reform groups in Britain during the 1950s has been largely neglected by the scholarship on the history of disability and the history of eugenics. This introduction, therefore, seeks to contextualise the subjects of disability and eugenics by connecting them with the APBC’s work and the appropriate historical framework. To this end, the existing literature and approaches to disability and eugenic studies will be discussed, highlighting the lack of focus on the work of parent reform groups and their contributions. Disability: Context and Historiography Like