History of the construction of knowledge about Down Syndrome in the 19th and early 20th centuries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i6.3574Keywords:
History of Science; Down's syndrome; John Langdon Down.Abstract
In this research we seek to analyze and understand the construction of knowledge about Down Syndrome, based mainly on the work of John Langdon Down and its repercussions in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This research is configured as being descriptive and fits as a study of the history of science, for that we mainly search primary sources and we also resort to secondary and tertiary sources about Down Syndrome. John Langdon Down occupies a prominent role due to significant changes in the panorama of scientific knowledge of the 19th century about Down Syndrome, as he carried out the systematization and description of the syndrome as a unique and differentiated clinical condition, disseminated ideas of care and treatments to individuals, besides contributing to the differentiation in relation to “cretinism” and other mental deficiencies. When developing his reflections, Down subsidized other works of that time contributing to the construction of scientific knowledge about the syndrome. We realized that his notes were corroborated by some and that other researchers contributed to the initial process of building knowledge about Down Syndrome. This work is part of the doctoral thesis work of the first author and will provide subsidies for an upcoming research on the construction of knowledge from the second half of the 20th century, complementing important data on the history of syndrome.
References
Allen, G., Benda, C. E., Böök, J. A., Carter, C. O., Ford, C. E., Chu, E. H. Y., Hanhart, E., Jervis, G., Langdon-Down, W., Lejeune, J., Nishimura, H., Oster, J., Penrose, L. S., Polani, P. E., Potter, E. L., Stern, C., Turpin, R., Warkany, J. & Yannet, H. (1961). Mongolism. Letters to the editor. Lancet, I, 775.
Allt, J. E. & Howell, C. J. (2003). Down’s syndrome. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 3(3), 83–86.
Bendyshe, T. (1865). The Anthropological Treatises of Blumenbach and Hunter. Londres: Anthropological Society of London.
Campbell, J. M., Morgan, S. B. & Jackson, J. N. (2004). Autism spectrum disorders and mental retardation. In: Brown R.T. (Ed) Handbook of pediatric psychology in school settings. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Crookshank, F. G. (1931). The mongol in our midst: a study of man and his three faces. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co Ltd.
Down, J. L. H. (1866). Observations on an Ethnic Classification of Idiots. London Hospital Reports, 3, 259-262.
Down, J. L. H. (1876). The education and training of the feeble in mind. Londres: H. K. Lewis.
Down, J. L. H. (1887). Some of the mental affections of childhood and youth. The British Medical Journal, 1(1360), 149-151.
Esquirol, J. E. D. (1838). Des Maladies Mentales. Paris: Libraire de L’Acadèmie Royale de Medecine.
Fraser, J. & Mitchell, A. (1876). Kalmuc idiocy: report of case with autopsy with notes on 62 cases. Journal of Mental Science, 22, 161.
Gil, A. C. (2008). Métodos e Técnicas de pesquisa social. 6. ed. São Paulo: Atlas.
Grossman, H. J. (org.) (1983). Classification in mental retardation. Washington: American Association on Mental Deficiency.
Howard-Jones, N. (1979). On the diagnostic term ”Down’s disease”. Medical History, 23, 102-104.
Ireland, W. W. (1877). On idiocy and imbecility. London: J. A. Churchill.
Langdon-Down, R. (1909). Handprints. British Medical Journal 2, 665.
Lima, A. S. (2002). Estado nutricional relativo ao zinco em pacientes com Síndrome de Down. Dissertação de Mestrado, Programa de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo.
Martins, L. A. P. (2005). História da ciência: objetos, métodos e problemas. Ciência & Educação, 11(2), 305-317.
Minayo, M. C. S. (Org.). (2001). Pesquisa social: teoria, método e criatividade. Petrópolis: Vozes.
Moreira, L. M. A., El-Hani, C. N. & Gusmão, A. F. (2000). A síndrome de Down e sua patogênese: considerações sobre o determinismo genético. Revista Brasileira de Psiquiatria, 22(2), 96-9.
Noll, S. & Trent Jr., J. W. (2004). Mental retardation in America: a historical reader. Nova York: New York University Press.
Oliver, C. & Holland, A. J. (1986). Down’s Syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease: a review. Psychological Medicine, 16, 307-322.
Pande, A. (1981). Co-Existence of Incubus and Capgras Syndromes. British Journal of Psychiatry,139(5), 469-470.
Pena, S. D. J. & Birchal, T. S. (2005-2006). A inexistência biológica versus a existência social de raças humanas: pode a ciência instruir o etos social? Revista USP, 68, 10-21, dezembro/fevereiro.
Schwartzman, J. S. (org.). (2003). Síndrome de Down. São Paulo: Mackenzie.
Seguin, E. (1866). Idiocy: and its treatment by the Psysiological Method. New York: W. Wood.
Shuttleworth, G. E. (1909). Mongolian imbecility. The British Medical Journal, 2(2541), 661-665.
Telford-Smith, T. (1896). Tendency to bending of the bones in cretins under thyroid treatment. British Medical Journal, 2, 645.
Ward, O. C. (1999). John Langdon Down: the man and the message. Down Syndrome Research and Practice, 6(1), 19-24.
Wright, D. (2011). Downs the history of a disability. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Zellweger, H. (1977). Down syndrome. In: Vinken P. J. & Bruyn, G. W. (eds) Congenital malformations of the brain and skull. Handbook of clinical neurology, 31, 367-469.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
