Disability Resources at MNHS

Please note that many of the terms found in these records are obsolete and/or harmful and may not have any basis in modern medical science.  They are included in this glossary because they appear in the records of organizations or institutions of the time period.

Colony Plan or Kirkbride Cottage System - Named for Dr. Thomas Kirkbride, this system was seen as a relief to overcrowded institutions and a more "humane" way to house high-functioning mentally ill individuals, the colony plan or cottage system placed small groups of individuals with similar symptoms and functional levels in cottages separate from the main hospital building, but still within the grounds.  The cottages often had farmland for the patients to work for fresh food and other small industries, with a focus on the entire lived experience of the patient being within the self-sufficient institutional grounds to minimize outside contact.  Dr. Kirkbride's foundational book for this system, On the Construction, Organization, and General Arrangements of Hospitals for the Insane with Some Remarks on Insanity and Its Treatment, may be accessed digitally through the Internet Archive.

Commitment - the legal process of placing someone in a state institution.  There were historically two types - voluntary and court ordered.  A voluntary commitment happens when someone consents to being in a state hospital, and they are able to leave at any time.  Involuntary, or court ordered, commitment involves a court hearing (usually in the probate court), examination by a physician, and a justification statement as to why the person should be placed in a state hospital.  The patient is then unable to leave the state hospital unless on a supervised release (see parole).

Cripple - early term for anyone with a physical or mobility disability

Dumb - early term for someone who is unable to verbally speak, usually due to hearing loss

Dementia Praecox - literally meaning "early dementia", the condition was originally thought to mark the early onset of deterioration in the brain (1890s -  early 1900s).   The term usually referred to what today is known as the mental disorder of schizophrenia, a serious disorder that can cause a  person to experience a warped interpretation of reality.  

Epilepsy - a neurological condition that was misunderstood as a mental illness or defect in the 1800s and early 1900s.  Those with epilepsy were often institutionalized in the same facility as those with mental health issues, physical disabilities, or developmental delays.

I.Q. (Intelligence Quotient) Tests - Tests that replicate common sets of miniature cognitive tasks or puzzles used in educational settings, these tests were first developed to determine children with mental or learning disabilities in France.  The most common version used in the United States is known as the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.  Every age group has an average score of 100, with deviations below that score indicating possible intellectual, developmental, or learning disabilities.  The tests, however, are heavily dependent upon cultural understandings, and are quickly skewed by application to other cultural groups, leading to more stringent guidelines in application today and many variations.

Feeble-minded - term used in legal and medical documents of the mid-1800s to mid-1900s to refer to someone judged as having mental impairment.  When used as part of the hierarchy of mental deficiency popular in the late 1800s, it was the highest level, and people labeled as such were considered able to learn a basic educational level of reading, writing and math, and other life skills.   See also: Imbecile and Idiot.

Hysteria -  also called female hysteria, and applied almost exclusively to female patients, this condition refers to what doctors believed to be either a physical injury to the nervous system or a psychological scar produced by trauma (1800s - mid 1900s).  Symptoms might include anxiety, insomnia, fainting, pain, seizures, bizarre movements, or hallucinations.  Recommended treatments included rest, marriage, pregnancy and child birth.  The term was officially removed as a diagnosis in 1980.

Idiot - term used in legal and medical documents to refer to someone judged to have little or no intellectual functioning, approximately 1700's to 1960's, when "mental retardation" was substituted.  As part of a hierarchy of mental deficiency used in the late 1800s to early 1900s, it was the most severe.  See also: Imbecile and Feeble-minded.

Imbecile - term used in legal and medical documents to refer to someone with intellectual abilities, but judged unable to function to the same level as those considered "normal".  As part of a hierarchy of mental deficiency used in the late 1800s to early 1900s, it was considered in the middle range of functioning.  Later, it was used as synonym for feeble-minded, until replaced in official terminology with "mental retardation", then "developmental delay or disability".  See also: Idiot and Feeble-minded.

Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities - affect a person's ability to learn, reason, and adapt socially. Examples include intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities, and some types of physical disability 

Invalid - an obsolete term used for someone with physical weakness or disability, often due to a chronic illness or injury.  

Mental/Behavioral Disabilities - involve difficulties with thinking, feeling, and behaving, such as mental illness or psychological distress. Examples include depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.

Mental Hygiene - early term (late 1800's-early 1900's) for mental health, often seen in the names of early advocacy organizations

Mentally Retarded - older term used for those with intellectual disabilities or developmental delays; Replaced with "intellectual disability" in all federal information and legal descriptions under Rosa's law in 2009

Mongoloid - an early to late 1800s term for children and adults with Down Syndrome

Mute - older term referring to the someone's inability to speak verbally.  Usually used when inability to hear was not the main reason for the inability to verbally speak.  See also: Dumb

Parole - term used by state institutions to indicate the supervised release of a patient.  Parole usually lasted for 1 year, after which the patient would be formally discharged from the system.  Many records abbreviate it as "pd".

Physical Disabilities - affect a person's ability to move, perform physical tasks, or experience pain. Examples include mobility limitations, paralysis, and chronic pain conditions.

Puerperal Melancholia - an early term for post partum depression following childbirth, it was also known as postpartum delirium or lactational melancholy

Sensory Disabilities - involve impairments in one or more of the senses, such as vision or hearing. Blindness, deafness, and hard of hearing are examples. 

Universal Design - deliberate design of an environment to be accessed, understood and used by the largest extent of people with minimal or no adaptions and regardless of age, size, ability or disability. Term originally coined by Architect Ronald Mace (1942-1998) to reference open concept housing accessible for those who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids.