| Discovery
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| | identified. There was some expert opinion
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| English physician John Langdon Down first
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| | that it might result from trauma
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| characterized Down syndrome as a distinct
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| | occurring during pregnancy.
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| form of mental retardation in 1862, and
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| | With the discovery of karyotype
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| in a more widely published report in 1866
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| | techniques in the 1950s it became
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| entitled "Observations on an ethnic
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| | possible to identify the obvious
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| classification of idiots".Due to his
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| | abnormalities of chromosomal number or
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| perception that children with Down
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| | shape. In 1959, Professor
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| syndrome shared physical facial
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| | Jérôme Lejeune discovered
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| similarities (epicanthal folds) with
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| | that Down's syndrome resulted from an
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| those of Blumenbach's Mongolian race,
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| | extra chromosome.[4] The extra chromosome
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| Down used the terms mongolism and
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| | was subsequently labeled as the 21st, and
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| mongolian idiocy. Idiocy was a medical
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| | the condition as trisomy 21. The labeling
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| term used at that time to refer to a
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| | of chromosome 21 represented an
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| severe degree of intellectual impairment.
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| | unintentional deviation from the genetic
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| Down wrote that monoglism represented
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| | convention by which the 22 pairs of
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| "retrogression," the appearance of
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| | autosomes comprising the human karyotype
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| Mongoloid traits in the children of
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| | were numbered from largest to smallest
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| allegedly more advanced Caucasian
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| | (excluding the sex chromosomes). Lejeune
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| parents.
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| | identified the extra chromosome in
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| Down syndrome and society in the early
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| | mongolism as the second smallest, hence
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| 20th century
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| | 21. Although it was later determined that
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| By the 20th century, "mongolian idiocy"
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| | chromosome 22 is actually slightly larger
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| had become the most recognizable form of
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| | than 21, it was deemed too confusing to
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| mental retardation. Most people with it
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| | change either the numbering of the two
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| were institutionalized. Few of the
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| | chromosomes or name of the trisomy.
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| associated medical problems were treated,
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| | Naming
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| and most died in infancy or early adult
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| | In 1961, a group of nineteen geneticists
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| life. With the rise of the eugenics
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| | wrote to the editor of The Lancet
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| movement, a number of states (33 of the
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| | suggesting that mongolian idiocy had
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| 48 United States) and countries began
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| | "misleading connotations," had become "an
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| programs of involuntary sterilization of
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| | embarrassing term" and should be
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| individuals with Down syndrome and
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| | changed.The Lancet supported Down's
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| comparable degrees of disability. The
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| | Syndrome. The World Health Organization
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| ultimate expression of this type of
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| | (WHO) officially dropped references to
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| public policy was the German euthanasia
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| | mongolism in 1965 after a request by the
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| program "Aktion T-4" begun in 1940. Court
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| | Mongolian delegate.
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| challenges and public revulsion at the
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| | In 1975, the United States National
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| nature of these programs led to
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| | Institute of Health convened a conference
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| discontinuation or repeal of such
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| | to standardize the nomenclature of
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| programs during the decades after World
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| | malformations. They recommended
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| War II. Even voluntary
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| | eliminating the possessive form: "The
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| institutionalization of children with
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| | possessive use of an eponym should be
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| Down syndrome has become rare in Western
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| | discontinued, since the author neither
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| countries.
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| | had nor owned the disorder."While both
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| Until the middle of the 20th century, the
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| | the possessive and non-possessive forms
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| cause of Down syndrome remained unknown,
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| | are used in the general population, Down
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| although the presence in all races, the
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| | syndrome is the accepted term among
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| association with older maternal age, and
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| | professionals in the USA, Canada and
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| the rarity of recurrence had been
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| | other countries, while Down's syndrome
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| noticed. Standard medical texts assumed
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| | continues to be used in the United
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| it was due to a combination of
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| | Kingdom and other areas.
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| inheritable factors which had not been
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| |
|
