VOLUME IV, No. 6. JUNE, 1914 THE DELINQUENT (FORMERLY THE REVIEW) A MONTHLY PERIODICAL, PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL PRISONERS’ AID ASSOCIATION AT 135 EAST 15th STREET, NEW YORK CITY. THIS COPY TEN CENTS. ONE DOLLAR A YEAR T. F. Garver, President. Wm. M. R. French, Vice-President. O. F. Lewis, Secretary, Treasurer and Editor The Delinquent. Edward Fielding, Chairman Ex. Committee. F. Emory Lyon, Member Ex. Committee. W. G. McLaren, Member Ex. Committee. A. H. Votaw, Member Ex. Committee. E. A. Fredenhagen, Member Ex. Committee. Joseph P. Byers, Member Ex. Committee. R. B. McCord, Member Ex. Committee. Entered as second-class mail matter at New York. MENTAL AND PHYSICAL FACTORS IN PROSTITUTION[1] By Edith R. Spaulding, M. D. [Resident Physician, Reformatory for Women, South Farmington, Mass.] That a better knowledge of the mental and physical characteristics of the prostitute herself could be obtained, and the causes as well as the results of her life be understood, the following study was undertaken. 240 women who have recently been inmates at the Massachusetts Reformatory for Women have been studied. All cases were included in which at any time there had been a history of commercialized promiscuous sex immorality. Only those cases were discarded in which the physical examination was incomplete, if the history obtained gave no evidence of disease. A study such as this does not aim to discover the fundamental physical or mental causes of prostitution as a social problem in the community. Such a problem is too involved to be considered from this limited standpoint. Recognizing, however, the fact that there is the demand in society, this aims to show the types of women from whom the supply is obtained and the benefits which may be derived for the community by further study and treatment of such types. Two hundred and five of the cases studied have received a psychological examination. This has included the history of their educational advantages and a study of the results obtained, as well as psychological tests which estimate native ability aside from formal educational training. In all doubtful cases, or in cases in which there appeared to be mental defect, the Binet-Simon tests have also been used. As a result of these examinations the cases have been roughly classified as follows: Per Ct. Mentality Good 43 cases 20.9 32.6 ” Fair 24 ” 11.7 ” Dull 30 ” 14.6 ” Subnormal 62 ” 30.3 Moron 45 ” 22.5 52.8 Imbecile 1 case --------- Total 205 cases