+----------------------------+--------+---------+-----------+
| | The | The | The |
| Sex. | Blind. | Totally | Partially |
| | | Blind. | Blind. |
+----------------------------+--------+---------+-----------+
| Number-- | | | |
| Total | 64,763 | 35,645 | 29,118 |
| Male | 37,054 | 20,144 | 16,190 |
| Female | 27,709 | 15,501 | 12,208 |
+----------------------------+--------+---------+-----------+
| Per cent distribution-- | | | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Male | 57.2 | 56.5 | 58.1 |
| Female | 42.8 | 43.5 | 41.9 |
| | | | |
| Number per 1,000,000 | | | |
| population of same sex-- | | | |
| Both sexes | 852 | 469 | 383 |
| Male | 955 | 519 | 436 |
| Female | 745 | 417 | 328 |
+----------------------------+--------+---------+-----------+
TABLE II.--_The Blind, by Degree of Blindness, Age-Periods, Colour and
Nativity._
+--------------------------+----------+----------------------------+----------+
| | | White. | |
| Degree of Blindness and | All +--------+---------+---------+ Coloured.|
| Age-Period. | Classes. | Total. | Native. | Foreign-| |
| | | | | born. | |
+--------------------------+----------+--------+---------+---------+----------+
| Number-- | | | | | |
| The blind | 64,763 | 56,535 | 45,479 | 10,694 | 8228 |
| Under 20 years | 8,308 | 7,252 | 6,937 | 231 | 1056 |
| 20 years and over | 56,165 | 49,067 | 38,388 | 10,420 | 7098 |
| Age unknown | 290 | 216 | 154 | 43 | 74 |
+--------------------------+----------+--------+---------+---------+----------+
| The totally blind | 35,645 | 30,359 | 23,636 | 6,511 | 5286 |
| Under 20 years | 4,123 | 3,543 | 3,377 | 129 | 580 |
| 20 years and over | 31,363 | 26,704 | 20,179 | 6,636 | 4639 |
| Age unknown | 159 | 112 | 80 | 19 | 27 |
+--------------------------+----------+--------+---------+---------+----------+
| The partially blind | 29,118 | 26,176 | 21,843 | 4,183 | 2942 |
| Under 20 years | 4,185 | 3,709 | 3,560 | 102 | 476 |
| 20 years and over | 24,802 | 22,363 | 18,209 | 4,057 | 2439 |
| Age unknown | 131 | 104 | 74 | 24 | 27 |
+--------------------------+----------+--------+---------+---------+----------+
| Number per 1,000,000 | | | | | |
| population of same age--| | | | | |
| The blind | 852 | 846 | 804 | 1,047 | 896 |
| Under 20 years | 247 | 250 | 248 | 215 | 229 |
| 20 years and over | 1,334 | 1,305 | 1,348 | 1,143 | 1574 |
+--------------------------+----------+--------+---------+---------+----------+
| The totally blind | 469 | 454 | 418 | 637 | 576 |
| Under 20 years | 123 | 122 | 121 | 120 | 126 |
| 20 years and over | 745 | 710 | 708 | 698 | 1033 |
+--------------------------+----------+--------+---------+---------+----------+
| The partially blind | 383 | 392 | 386 | 410 | 320 |
| Under 20 years | 124 | 128 | 127 | 95 | 103 |
| 20 years and over | 589 | 595 | 639 | 445 | 541 |
+--------------------------+----------+--------+---------+---------+----------+
The enumerators reported a total of 101,123 persons alleged to be
blind as defined in the instructions contained in the schedules, but
this number was greatly reduced as a result of the correspondence
directly with the individuals, 8842 reporting that the alleged defect
did not exist, and 6544 that they were blind only in one eye but were
able to see with the other, and hence did not come within the scope of
the inquiry. No replies were received in 19,884 cases in which
personal schedules were sent, although repeated inquiries were made;
consequently these cases were dropped. In 380 cases the personal
schedules returned were too incomplete for use, and in 75 cases
duplication was discovered. The number of cases remaining for
statistical treatment, after making the eliminations and corrections,
was 64,763, representing 35,645 totally blind, and 29,118 partially
blind. This number, however, can be considered only as the minimum, as
an unknown proportion of the blind were not located by the
enumerators, and doubtless a considerable proportion of the 19,884
persons who failed to return the personal schedules should be included
in the total.
"Blindness, either total or partial, is so largely a defect of the
aged, and occurs with so much greater frequency as the age advances
and the population diminishes, that in any comparison of the
proportion of the blind in the general population of different
classes, such as native and foreign-born whites, or white and
coloured, the age distribution of the population of each class should
be constantly borne in mind. The differences in this respect account
for many of the differences in the gross ratios, and it is only when
ratios are compared for classes of population of identical ages that
their relative liability to blindness can be properly inferred."
Table II. shows the classification, by degree of blindness, of the
blind under twenty years of age, twenty years of age and over, and of
unknown age, with respect to colour and nativity, with the number at
the specified ages per million of population in the same age-group.
The relationship or consanguinity of parents of the 64,763 blind was
reported in 56,507 cases, in 2527 (or 4.5%) of which the parents were
related as cousins.
In 57,726 cases the inquiry as to the existence of blind relatives was
answered; 10,967 (or 19%) of this number reported that they had blind
relatives.
Of the 2527 blind persons whose parents were cousins, 993 (or 39.3%)
had blind relatives,--844 having blind brothers, sisters or ancestors,
and 149 having blind collateral relatives or descendants.
Of the 53,980 blind whose parents were not related, 9490 (or 17.6%)
had blind relatives, 7395 having blind brothers, sisters or ancestors,
and 2095 having blind collateral relatives or descendants.
It was found that, of the 2527 blind whose parents were cousins, 632
(or 25%) were congenitally blind, of whom 350 (or 55.4%) had also
blind relatives of the classes specified; while, among the 53,980
whose parents were not so related, the number of congenitally blind
was 3666 (or but 6.8%), of whom only 1023 (or 27.9%) had blind
relatives.
France.
In 1883 the number of blind in France was estimated at 32,056, the
total population of the country being 38,000,000; 2548 of the blind
were under, and 29,508 above, 21 years of age; of the former 857 were
receiving instruction in 21 schools supported by the state, by the
city of Paris, by some of the departments, and by some religious
bodies. The four Parisian institutions are the Institution Nationale
des Jeunes Aveugles, the Ecole Braille (founded in 1883), the
Etablissement des Soeurs Aveugles de St Paul (founded in 1852), and
that of the Freres de Saint Jean de Dieu (founded in 1875).