Autism in History The Case of Hugh Blair of

This engaging story of an eighteenth century Scottish laird whose brief arranged marriage was annulled on the grounds of his mental capacity - which seen through modern eyes can be identified as autism. It is a story of villainy and innocence, and provides a fascinating historical context to which the latest theories on autism are applied.

Rab Houston is Professor of Early Modern History at the University of St Andrews. He has extensive research experience in the social history of Britain and Europe in the early modern period. Best known for his work on seventeenth and eighteenth-century Scotland, his published books include Madness and Society in Eighteenth-Century Scotland.

Uta Frith is a Professor of Cognitive Development at University College of London and Deputy Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University College of London. She has pioneered investigations into the mind of the individual with autism and has a keen interest in the impact of the disorder on both sufferer and carers. Her book, Autism: Explaining the Enigma has been translated into many languages.

List of Plates

vi

Acknowledgements

viii

The Background to the Study

1

(13)

The Life and Times of Hugh Blair

14

(39)

Understanding Mental Incapacity in the Past

53

(44)

Autism and its Relevance to the Case of Hugh Blair

97

(35)

Reading the Court Case as a Clinical Case

132

(25)

The Historical-clinical Approach to the Case of Hugh Blair

157

(19)

Notes

176

(17)

Glossary of Historical Terms

193

(2)

Glossary and Topics in Autism

195

(5)

Further Historical Reading

200

(1)

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Autism in History The Case of Hugh Blair of Borgue

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials