elizabethdeveer--
I am confident that the word you are looking for is ?feeble-minded.?
This term was in common use in this country (including, of course,
Oklahoma) from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. It was
not a derogatory term, but was used by official agencies to encompass
those people who were in later years typically described as mental
retarded.
Here?s some evidence for this answer, beginning with a specific Oklahoma reference.
The Northern Oklahoma Resource Center in Enid, Oklahoma contains this
paragraph relating to its history:
?NORCE was first known as the Oklahoma Institution for the Feeble
Minded and place under the direction of four persons approved by the
Governor to serve two years without salary. The name of the
institution remained the same until 1935, when it was changed to the
Northern Oklahoma Hospital, even though the act that defined it said
the institution was not a hospital.?
Oklahoma Department of Human Services: NORCE
http://www.okdhs.org/ddsd/Resource%20Centers/DDSD%20NORTHERN%20OKLAHOMA%20RESOURCE%20CENTER%20AT%20ENID%20MAIN.html
There is no doubt that the term ?feeble-minded? was the standard term
for the mentally retarded in Oklahoma, as well in the rest of the
country, well beyond 1935.
First, as for Oklahoma, here is a reference to language from a 1941
Oklahoma state court case:
?Characteristics commonly associated with "lunacy or other unsoundness
of mind" include: (1) testimony by individuals in frequent contact
with the victim that he/she is "feeble minded" or "has the mind of a
child . . . ." (citing Hacker v. State, 73 Okl. Cr. 119, 118 P.2d
408 (1941) Hacker v. State, 73 Okl. Cr. 119, 118 P.2d 408 (1941)
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals: Uniform Jury Instructions
http://www.okcca.net/datafiles/legal/Oklahoma/ouji/criminal/OUJI-CR%204-123.html
More generally, the use of the term throughout the south in the 1930s
is demonstrated by the title of an often-cited academic study called
?Feeble-Minded in Our Midst: Institutions for the Mentally Retarded in
the South, 1900-1940,? by Steven Noll (University of North Carolina
Press, 2003. Here is a link to a description of that book:
UNC Press: ?Feeble-Minded in Our Midst: Institutions for the Mentally
Retarded in the South, 1900-1940
http://uncpress.unc.edu/books/T-35.html
Finally, and probably the ?clincher? for the argument that the term
?feeble-minded? was not only in common use nationwide throughout the
1930s, but was still the ?official? term for the condition later
called mental retardation is this excerpt from the 1939 edition of
?Collier?s Year Book,? which has been archived by MSN Encarta:
?1939: Education
?Educational Statistics.
?The United States Office of Education . . . issued the
"Statistical Summary of Education 1935-36" as part of its Biennial
Survey of Education in the United States: 1934-36. The total number of
schools covered in the Summary was approximately 270,500, distributed
as follows: elementary, 232,174 public and 9,992 private; high
schools, 25,652 public and 3,327 private; universities, colleges, and
professional schools, 536 public and 1,159 private; residential
schools for the blind, deaf, feeble-minded, and delinquent, 295 public
and 123 private; private commercial schools, 2,099; and schools of
nursing, 1,381.?
MSN: Encarta: 1939: Education: Collier?s Year Book
http://encarta.msn.com/sidebar_461501184/1939_Education.html
(Note the use of the "feeble-minded" in the third line from the end of the quote.)
Additional Information:
A nice, concise summary of the use of the term ?feeble-minded? is
contained at the link below and includes this excerpt:
?Feeble-minded was a term used from the late 19th century through the
early 20th century to loosely describe a variety of mental
deficiencies, including what would now be considered mental
retardation in its various types and grades, and learning disabilities
such as dyslexia.
?Though it sounds particularly offensive to our current ears, it was
not used as a particularly pejorative term and was, along with "idiot"
and "moron," considered to be a relatively precise psychiatric label
in its day.
. . . . .
?In the first half of the 20th century, "feeble-mindedness, in any of
its grades" was a common criteria (sic) for compulsory sterilization
in many states.?
Brainy Encyclopedia: Feeble-Minded
http://www.brainyencyclopedia.com/encyclopedia/f/fe/feeble_minded.html
Search Strategy:
I used a variety of Google searches designed to find possible answers
and then to find and confirm the correct term by refining the search
terms. Here are a few examples:
?feeble-minded? ?mentally retarded?
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&q=%22feeble-minded%22+%22mentally+retarded%22+&spell=1
?mentally retarded? ?feeble-minded? ?in the south?
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&q=%22mentally+retarded%22+%22feeble-minded%22+%22in+the+south%22
?feeble-minded? oklahoma
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&q=%22feeble-minded%22++oklahoma+
?oklahoma institution for the feeble-minded?
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&q=%22oklahoma+institution+for+the+feeble-minded%22+
I am confident that this is the information you want, but if anything
is unclear, please ask for clarification before rating the answer.
markj-ga |
