Workhouse Imbecile on death cert

[Smukke]

I have just received a death certificate for one my relatives who died on the lunacy ward of Blackburn workhouse in 1913 and the cause of death was 1. Epilepsy and 2. Imbecile.

Poor lad was only 17 and had been there many years so I am just wondering if he was just merely an epileptic which was not diagnosed or recognised correctly or infact what exactly their description of Imbecile was ?

[Lydart]

... an online dictionary definition ...

http://www.yourdictionary.com/medical/imbecile



I don't think we would dare these days to use such ... perhaps he had brain damage from birth, or Downs syndrome, or any number of mental health problems ...

[stanmapstone]

Some terms do have a formal definition in the UK although they are no longer used :
Term Idiot  IQ 0 to 25  Modern term Severe learning disability
Imbecile  IQ 25 to 50  Moderate learning disability
Feeble minded (moron)  IQ 50 to 70  Mild learning disability
Those with an IQ of less than 50 usually need care throughout life and are unlikely to educable in the formal sense.

Stan

[Smukke]

Is it possible that he was not like that at all but just epileptic and put there because his parents could not cope and the condition was undiagnosed ?

[Redroger]

In that general era there were many conditions which were not diagnosed simply becase they were not known. My grandmother killed herself in 1901, reading the inquest reports it is apparent that she had been suffering from post natal depression since the birth of her first child some 7 years before, and in the meantime had my father 2 years prior to her death.

[Plummiegirl]

Imbecile is quite mild - I have seen Moron.

The Victorians were not very sympathetic around people with any sort of disability.  And they were apt to call a spade a spade & not a shovel!!