Down syndrome: Difference between revisions

British Physician, John Langdon Haydon Down, first classified Down syndrome in 1866. [http://caslater.freeservers.com/JLD.htm] During much of the nineteenth century, people with mental retardation were commonly known as Idiots. Dr. Down classified people with Trisomy 21 as Mongolian Idiots. This term is now considered offensive towards those with Down syndrome and is not a politically correct term. [http://home.vicnet.net.au/~borth/DOWN1.HTM] Mongolism was renamed Down Syndrome after Dr. Down in the 1960’s.[http://www.ds-health.com/trisomy.htm] During the early twentieth century, people with Down syndrome were often the victims of Abuse. Many were institutionalized and were forced to undergo sterilization programs. In Nazi Germany, Many people with mental retardation, primarily those with Down syndrome, were cruelly murdered. Today, much has changed in the way people with mental retardation are treated. Many are given the chance to receive an education in public school and there are an increasing number of job opportunities available to people with mental disabilities. [http://www.bio-medicine.org/biology-definition/Down_syndrome/]