On some of the mental affections of childhood and youth : being the Lettsomian lectures delivered before the Medical Society of London in 1887 : together with other papers / by J. Langdon Down.

  • Down, John Langdon Haydon, 1828-1896.
Date:
1887
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On some of the mental affections of childhood and youth : being the Lettsomian lectures delivered before the Medical Society of London in 1887 : together with other papers / by J. Langdon Down. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    . It will be obvious, however, tliat before any real value can be assigned to this statement it will be necessary to inquire into the average number.of children belonging to these fami- lies. This I have been at great pains to ascer- tain, and I find that up to the time I had been consulted in each case 6*91, or nearly seven, was the average number of living children born to the parents who have had an idiot child. Fourteen per cent, were second born, 9 per cent, fourth, 5 per cent, fifth, 7 per cent, sixth, 10 per cent, seventh, 2 per cent, eighth, 9 per cent, ninth, 2 per cent, tenth, 2 per cent, eleventh, 1 per cent, twelfth, 3 per cent, thir- teenth, and 1 per cent, fourteenth. The question naturally presents itself as to what should give this undue preponderance of idiocy to primiparse. I have no doubt that it may be largely attributed to the exalted emotional life of the mother; her life is one of exaggerated hopes and fears; she is prone to live in an unnaturally expectant atmosphere. She is going through an experience altogether new, with untried responsibilities both social and domestic. She is more than usually responsive to external impressions and influences, cer-