what exactely is an idiot?!

[Rena]

Does anyone know whether the term "idiot" is interchangeable with the term "lunatic". A distant rellie of mine was listed on early censuses living with wife and children and occupation was a Painter, then in three subsequent censuses he was in an asylum and was listed as a lunatic. Correspondence with a direct ancestor who had done more detailed research confirmed he was epileptic. I don't know whether he was afflicted as a child and it got worse in his 40s or it was as a result of an accident later. 

.
In early days paint had lead in it and it's well known that it affects the brain.  I wonder if the paint content brought about the fits?

[stanmapstone]

Lead poisoning; In adults the symptoms can include convulsions, permanent brain damage and damage to the central nervous system.
See http://www.ciphe.org.uk/Professional/Public-Health/Lead-Poisoning/

Stan

[Rena]

I'm surprised there were so few ancestors noted in that column of the census.   Most births would be at home and without quick specialist intervention any difficult birth where oxygen is denied the brain for any length of time will cause some damage.

I have four consecutive census where one child's name is omitted.  There's a telltale gap in the births of all siblings to show that maybe one was stillborn but it wasn't until I found notice of a birth to the mother in an 1853 newspaper that I had proof that a child had survived birth.  It wasn't until I found the family headstone which detailed all dates of births and deaths that I knew the baby ("much loved son") had survived for 41 years.  The quandary is where is the official registration of his death or did the family not report it.

[busylizzie123]

Another good read Stan!!

On the lighter side, I think I had a lucky escape,,,,having chewed through my painted cot spindles probally lead in the paint those days

[Redroger]

The amount of inbreeding apparent in English villages during the 18th and 19th centuries surprises me that a far higher proportion of the population were not physically or mentally defective.

[busylizzie123]

We must also remember alot of the mothers gave birth in later years well into their 40's and that brings with it a very high risk of Downs Syndrome,, those children would die young 20 - 30 sometimes they would reach 40's,

This medical condition I have never seen recorded on census, so maybe idiot or imbecile was the term used

[Redroger]

That sounds reasonable, though in widespread use in the 1940s-1960's (and beyond?) the term mongol was already considered derogatory, so perhaps this goes back to the time of the published censuses.

[busylizzie123]

I was under the impression that interbreeding was stemmed by a law or ban on marrying even 2nd cousins which apparently was lifted in the 20th century.

I remember as a child in Liverpool being told that Birkenhead people were idiots due to interbreeding as they were surrounded by water and never moved around.

Sometimes the tales we are told have a element of truth in them

Who was to police this anyway in small villages and islands in those days

[busylizzie123]

mmm never seen Mongol on a census ...maybe not a term used in those times or as you say was an insult . so why use idiot