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Autism in History: The Case of Hugh Blair of Borgue

ISBN: 978-0-631-22089-3

September 2000

Wiley-Blackwell

224 pages

Description
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.
About the Author
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.

Features
* Engages readers while enabling them to learn the latest theories on autism.
* Provides valuable insight into eighteenth-century life and how that society understood and dealt with mental disorders.
* Represents a unique collaboration between social historian and psychologist.