What did people call Autism before 1944?

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There has to be some common words in various cultures...?


I was thinking today about things you can't see on the outside and social acceptance. Homosexuality - everyone clearly can see the penis and the Vagina - but the brain is the difference. Still today people fight over acceptance vs. "change your behavior". And homosexuality has been well known by most people since Greek and Roman times... and the Bible?

What about Autism and other "mental differences" that aren't always obvious on the outside? I mean these disorders have only had since 1944 to educate against the social rejection?

For the severe case, probably "the idiot of the village".

For the mild case, perhaps "excentric".

Usually either mentally ret*d or schizophrenic.

"Simple" & related labels.
Crazy and/or schizophrenic + related labels.

In the decades prior to 1944, it would've been under various classifications: schizophrenia of childhood, personality disorder, schizoid, and idiot savant. Throughout history, the traits might have been given various names that would have overlapped with other (current) classifications: artist, engineer, inventor, witch etc.

"That weird person I don't like."

...and some things never change.

There's a great book by Paul Collins called _Not Even Wrong: Adventures in Autism_ that explores some of the history of it. He explores some interesting historical cases, particularly "feral children".

Hermits, crazy cat ladies, cranks, eccentrics, oddballs, weird, a bit off.

There have always been people that were considered 'different'. They were the ones obsessed with one subject, the man with the coin collection that filled his house, the 'old maid' who was cranky but kept her lawn immaculate.

Insane, ret*d, Weird, Schzioid, Unsound Mind, Simple.

I am sure you get the idea.

Maybe in the 1500's they might have mistaken autistic people for witches, because they might think that their quietness and stims could be communication with devils/spirits.

Such individuals were simply called, 'mentally defectives." Also, during the horrific attacks by Adolph Hitler and the Nazis, many of these individuals were burned to death right along with the Jewish people in the Death Camps in Europe...

metally ret*d.

Asocial


Trying to remember the term they used on the Trial at Nuremburg movie in the part where they talked about sterilizing the weird people...

Probably stupid or moron, or idiot. That's what they used to call people back then who were different if they had CP, mental retardation, etc. Most of them lived in institutions anyway.

If their autism was milder around AS lets say, then probably weird, odd, different, eccentric, and I was told by one of my online friends they lived in the streets and died if they were unable to hold down a job because there was no assistance for them and not all of them had families to support them. I don't think they could get Social Security then because you have to have a label to get it, plus Social Security didn't start till 1937, I think.

Weirdo.