feeble-minded
Sign in to saveThe term feeble-minded was used from the late 19th century in Europe, the United States, and Australasia for disorders later referred to as illnesses, deficiencies of the mind, and disabilities.
Article
10 sectionsContents
- History
- Schools of feeble-minded in the United States
- Institutional daily life
- Sterilization and eugenics in school settings
- Partial list of US institutions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
- Definition
- Representation in other media
- See also
- References
- External links
The term feeble-minded was used from the late 19th century in Europe, the United States, and Australasia for disorders later referred to as illnesses, deficiencies of the mind, and disabilities.
At the time, mental deficiency encompassed all degrees of educational and social deficiency. Within the concept of mental deficiency, researchers established a hierarchy, ranging from idiocy, at the most severe end of the scale; to imbecility, at the median point; and to feeble-mindedness at the highest end of functioning. The last was conceived of as a form of high-grade mental deficiency.