The Family Physician and the Mentally Retarded Child

Abstract

The family physician must summon all his skill as a counselor when he delivers a deformed or mentally defective child or is consulted about mental retardation. To aid the physician in this problem, the author points out various abnormalities of the newborn, indications of delayed development, and causes of mental and pseudomental deficiency. He also discusses the role of genetics in mental deficiency and reviews answers to questions commonly asked by parents of mentally retarded children.