Mongolism: A study of the physical and mental characteristics of Mongolian imbeciles
Baltimore: The Williams & Wilkins Co., 1928. 8vo. viii, 210, [4] pp. FIRST EDITION. Complete with half-title, 30 photographs on 18 leaves, numerous graphs, tables and text illustrations, index and appendix of case reports, and 19-page bibliography. In the back of the book is a 2-page description of the process of printing the book (“Sans Tache”). Library buckram, label removed from foot of spine; stamps on title and last leaf, bookplate of the Medical Society of the County of Kings. Presentation copy, signed by the author on the title. Item #13979
First edition of this valuable study of mongolism, the most comprehensive overview of the contemporary literature. In order to test various common theories of etiology, the authors compare the leading observations and theories in the field, as well as utilize data from numerous case studies. They show that the generally accepted theories explaining the cause of Mongolism, such as alcoholism and mental strain on the part of the mother during birth, are not supported by statistics. Of special interest is the lengthy bibliography.
The term “mongolism” was coined by John L. H. Down in 1866 in an attempt to classify the physical traits common to certain groups of persons having a mental disorder then referred to as idiocy. Physicals traits had been described by Séguin and Lombroso, but the condition was not fully understood until it was identified as a genetic disorder in 1959. Soon after it was renamed Down’s Syndrome. Garrison & Morton, 4958.
Price: $600.00