science

Mongolian idiocy

Mongolian idiocy is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mongolian idiocy rather than just read about it. In short: The obsolete medical terms "Mongolian idiocy" and "Mongolism" referred to a specific type of mental deficiency, associated with the genetic disorder now known as Down syndrome. The obsolete term for a person with this syndrome was "Mongolian idiot".

Key takeaways

Mongolian idiocy belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mongolian idiocy to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mongolian idiocy from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The obsolete medical terms "Mongolian idiocy" and "Mongolism" referred to a specific type of mental deficiency, associated with the genetic disorder now known as Down syndrome. The obsolete term for a person with this syndrome was "Mongolian idiot". In the 21st century, those terms are no longer used as medical terminology; they are deemed unacceptable, offensive and a slur towards those with Down syndrome. The terminology change was brought about both by scientific and medical experts, as well as people of Asian ancestry, including those from Mongolia.

History John Langdon Down first characterized what is now known as Down syndrome as a distinguishable form of mental disability in 1862, and in a more widely published report in 1866. Due to his perception that these children shared facial similarities with the populations that German physician Johann Friedrich Blumenbach described as the "Mongolian race", Down used the term "mongoloid" in his characterisation of these patients. The term continued its usage into the 20th century. A study published in 1908 by W. Bertram Hill was titled Mongolism and its Pathology. The term "Mongolism" was used by English psychiatrist and geneticist Lionel Penrose as late as 1961. F. G. Crookshank published a pseudoscientific book in 1924 titled The Mongol in Our Midst which suggested that the syndrome was due to genetic traits literally inherited from Mongoloid races. Rock band Devo released a song titled "Mongoloid" in 1977, describing a man with Down syndrome. A few languages retained the colloquialism "Mongol" to mean "idiot". Racing driver Max Verstappen called Lance Stroll a "Mongol" after a collision in practice ahead of the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix.

Deprecation of the term In 1961, genetic experts wrote a joint letter to the medical journal The Lancet which read:

It has long been recognized that the terms Mongolian Idiocy, Mongolism, Mongoloid, etc. as applied to a specific type of mental deficiency have misleading connotations. The importance of this anomaly among Europeans and their descendants is not related to the segregation of genes derived from Asians; its appearance among members of Asian populations suggests such ambiguous designations as 'Mongol Mongoloid'; increasing participation of Chinese and Japanese in investigation of the condition imposes on them the use of an embarrassing term. We urge, therefore, that the expressions which imply a racial aspect of the condition be no longer used. Some of the undersigned are inclined to replace the term Mongolism by such designations as 'Langdon Down Anomaly', or 'Down's Syndrome or Anomaly', or 'Congenital Acromicria'. Several of us believe that this is an appropriate time to introduce the term 'Trisomy 21 Anomaly', which would include cases of simple Trisomy as well as translocations. It is hoped that agreement on a specific phrase will soon crystallize once the term 'Mongolism' has been abandoned. In 1965, WHO resolved to abandon the term at the request of the Mongolian People's Republic. The term thereafter began to fade from use, in favor of Down's syndrome, Down syndrome and Trisomy 21 disorder. The term "Mongolian idiocy" was reported as continuing in use at least 15 years after the WHO's decision to abandon it; in his book The Panda's Thumb, published in 1980, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould reported that the term "Mongolism" was still commonly used in the United States, despite being "defamatory" and "wrong on all counts".

See also Idiot#Disability and early classification and nomenclature

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mongolian idiocy

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mongolian idiocy claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mongolian idiocy before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mongolian idiocy ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mongolian idiocy

In research: Mongolian idiocy appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mongolian idiocy in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mongolian idiocy is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Down syndrome, History of Mongolia, Obsolete medical terms, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mongolian idiocy outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mongolian idiocy in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mongolian idiocy means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mongolian idiocy out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mongolian idiocy in simple terms?

Why does Mongolian idiocy matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mongolian idiocy?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mongolian idiocy.