Excerpt:
Comment on terminology
I have stuck to this term for a number of reasons, mainly because I didn't think any other term would be understandable to an international audience. I have also tried to preserve historical accuracy as much as possible. Thus, whilst I accept and support the request of people with 'learning difficulties' to use that term, the retrospective substitution of terminology can have a falsifying effect.
Annotation:
This site should prove useful to researchers studying the history of "idiocy," mental retardation, eugenics, and the scientific basis for racism. Most of the articles included are from the mid-nineteenth century and many of the texts are medical and pyschological in nature though two recent articles address more contemporary concerns such as the book "The Bell Curve." A few of the pages are text excerpts, however, most of the works are provided in full text. This site also includes a few links to related sites that may be of interest.