Annual report of the trustees of the New-York State Asylum for Idiots : transmitted to the Legislature, February 9, 1852.

  • New York State Asylum for Idiots
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the trustees of the New-York State Asylum for Idiots : transmitted to the Legislature, February 9, 1852. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    selected by yourselves from every portion of the State, with only written descriptions to guide you, with no restrictions as to the degree of idiocy, and subject only to a few necessary conditions. I was furnished in every case with a certificate, filled out by an intelligent physician acquainted with the pupil, in answer to a series of questions designed to elicit a brief history and descrip¬ tion that should throw light upon the general subject of idiocy, as well as furnish hints to guide us in our efforts for their educa¬ tion. From the descriptions given by these certificates, and from additional information furnished by the parents or parties send¬ ing, and which, I may say, are confirmed by your own observa¬ tion, I give the following summary statements. Of the 25 pupils that we have received at our asylum, 12 could not speak a single word. Of these 12 who were speechless, 6 had no idea of language, could not comprehend a single word or command addressed to them. Of those who are not dumb, 3 say but a few words and those indistinctly; and still 2 others who did not speak till nine years of age, and now but indistinctly, and with a very limited number of words. Seven walked imperfectly, 3 were subject to partial paralysis, II had been subject to convulsions, 8 were subject to excessive flow of saliva, 7 were utterly inattentive to the calls of nature, and several others required constant watching to preserve clean¬ liness, and 5 were described as very irritable. A greater portion were unable to dress or undress themselves, and but four of the whole number could feed themselves with propriety. None of them could read or write, or count, or distinguish colors by name. The range of development is from one who is but little below the lower grades of ordinary human intelligence, and who could not be taught to read, or write, or count, by the ordinary educa¬ tional efforts for that purpose, down to one who cannot walk, nor stand, nor even sit alone; who cannot feed herself, has no idea of language, no fear of falling, faint perceptions of the objects of sight, and who would have starved to death with food within her reach and before her eyes. Taken as a whole, they are unquestionably below the mass of idiots in the State in point of intelligence, and for the obvious
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