Down's syndrome in a young woman. Photograph.

photograph : photoprint, albumen ; sheet 10.7 x 8.2 cm

This girl is the youngest of 11, her mother was 44 years of age at the time of her birth; ... Lettering in black ink on mount, continues: "she presents the slack joints & [?] tongue of mongolian idiot & yet there does [not?] seem much trace of the condition in her physiognomy. [?] index 74 in intelligence, she is a low grade idiot"

Part of a collection of photographs formed by George Edward Shuttleworth (1842-1928). He was Superintendent of the Royal Albert Asylum at Lancaster from 1870 to 1893. On his retirement in 1893, he devoted himself to the study of insanity, and published a book entitled "Mentally-deficient children: their treatment and training", London 1895. Some of his photographs, manuscripts and publications were presented to the Wellcome Institute Library in 1929

Wellcome Collection 39105i