Demographics
Labels Down Syndrome
Down syndrome occurs in about one in every 800 live births in the
United States, or about 6,000 children per year. These babies, however,
represent only about a quarter of those conceived with trisomy 21. The
condition is linked to so many heart defects and other problems that
affect survival before birth that about 75 percent of fetuses conceived
with Down syndrome are miscarried.
Down syndrome occurs with equal frequency in all races and ethnic
groups, as far as is known. Boys are slightly more likely to be affected
than girls.
The Children’s Advocate
John Langdon Haydon Down (1828–1896) was
the British doctor who pioneered the care and
education of children with the syndrome that now
bears his name. He published the first scientific
description of the condition in 1866. Down had
originally hoped to become a chemist and studied
under Michael Faraday, one of the most gifted
scientists of his time, but then decided to enter
medical school in 1853. Down was regarded as
exceptionally talented; his professors predicted a
brilliant future for him in medicine and were
stunned when he turned down a prestigious
position at the London Hospital to become
superintendent of an asylum for mentally retarded
children in Surrey in 1858. At that time, the field of
mental retardation was considered unworthy of
serious interest or concern, and affected children
were regarded as beyond help.
For the next ten years Down worked at the Earlswood
Asylum, turning it into a model institution for
the care of mentally ill as well as retarded children
and adolescents. In 1868 he founded a school for
the education of children with trisomy 21, which
was then termed mongolism. Down believed that
these children could indeed learn and contribute to
society. He also advocated for higher education for
women, arguing against the widespread belief that
allowing females to study at the university level
would make them more likely to have retarded
children.
Two of Down’s sons became doctors and continued
his work at the school he founded.
Although the genetic cause of trisomy 21 was not
known in Down’s day—he himself attributed it to
tuberculosis in the children’s parents—he was an
important advocate for those affected by the
syndrome. The cause of Down syndrome was
finally identified in 1959 by Jérôme Lejeune
(1926–1994), a French pediatrician and
geneticist.
United States, or about 6,000 children per year. These babies, however,
represent only about a quarter of those conceived with trisomy 21. The
condition is linked to so many heart defects and other problems that
affect survival before birth that about 75 percent of fetuses conceived
with Down syndrome are miscarried.
Down syndrome occurs with equal frequency in all races and ethnic
groups, as far as is known. Boys are slightly more likely to be affected
than girls.
The Children’s Advocate
John Langdon Haydon Down (1828–1896) was
the British doctor who pioneered the care and
education of children with the syndrome that now
bears his name. He published the first scientific
description of the condition in 1866. Down had
originally hoped to become a chemist and studied
under Michael Faraday, one of the most gifted
scientists of his time, but then decided to enter
medical school in 1853. Down was regarded as
exceptionally talented; his professors predicted a
brilliant future for him in medicine and were
stunned when he turned down a prestigious
position at the London Hospital to become
superintendent of an asylum for mentally retarded
children in Surrey in 1858. At that time, the field of
mental retardation was considered unworthy of
serious interest or concern, and affected children
were regarded as beyond help.
For the next ten years Down worked at the Earlswood
Asylum, turning it into a model institution for
the care of mentally ill as well as retarded children
and adolescents. In 1868 he founded a school for
the education of children with trisomy 21, which
was then termed mongolism. Down believed that
these children could indeed learn and contribute to
society. He also advocated for higher education for
women, arguing against the widespread belief that
allowing females to study at the university level
would make them more likely to have retarded
children.
Two of Down’s sons became doctors and continued
his work at the school he founded.
Although the genetic cause of trisomy 21 was not
known in Down’s day—he himself attributed it to
tuberculosis in the children’s parents—he was an
important advocate for those affected by the
syndrome. The cause of Down syndrome was
finally identified in 1959 by Jérôme Lejeune
(1926–1994), a French pediatrician and
geneticist.
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