ACCIDENTS AND SURGICAL EMERGENCIES IN A POPULATION OF MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN

The incidence of casualties in an institution for mentally retarded children is shown to be about three times as great as in the normal Danish child population. The circumstances concerned are analysed by means of a retrospective investigation to elucidate the mechanisms involved and the contributory factors. The investigation reveals that there is a definite relationship between the degree of mental handicap and the underlying disease (e.g. epilepsy and/or cerebral paresis, mon-golism etc.) and the incidence of casualties. Other types of incapacity such as motor handicap, anaesthesia, defective sight or hearing and other physical disease (e.g. hydrocephalus) may predispose to accidents. Some children are undoubtedly more accident-prone than others and the cause may be found in their disease (most frequently epilepsy) while, in others, purposeless motor activity and the inability to learn from experience combined with severe or profound mental retardation appear to be responsible. Phases of accident-proneness may be associated with the acquiring of new skills. Some prophylactic measures are suggested which should be considered when new institutions are planned. A broad spectrum of somatic, developmental, handicap, environmental, emotional and mental factors interplay in the production of accidents in mentally retarded patients. Attempts should be made to analyse the mechanism of every accident so that appropriate prophylactic measures can be undertaken.