October 2024: Director's Blog

Over the last decade, I have become interested in collecting antiquarian books from as early as the 1600s. I have become friendly with sellers on Etsy. One of them has sources to find almost anything I could want. Most of you reading this blog will know that one of the major focuses of my research is ADHD. I asked this seller if she could locate a copy of Sir Alexander Crichton's 1798 volume titled, "An Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Mental Derangement. Comprehending a Concise System of the Physiology and Pathology of the Human Mind and a History of the Passions and their effects." In Volume I, Book II ("The Natural and Morbid History of the Mental Faculties") is Chapter II titled, "On Attention, and its Diseases." This is one of the first examples of ADHD clearly presented in the clinical/medical literature. I will be getting this volume soon for my birthday! I am excited to own such a piece of history of ADHD.

I have included images of the cover and title page of my book below. I have also included the index of the first part of Book II and the first page of Chapter II, where ADHD is first explained from other sources, as I am still waiting to get my book. Please check out the references below as well.

References

• ADHD. Columbia University Department of Psychiatry. (2024, March 18). https://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/research/research-areas/child-and-adolescent-psychiatry/sultan-lab-mental-health-informatics/research-areas/adhd

• Crichton, A. (2008). An inquiry into the nature and origin of mental derangement. Journal of Attention Disorders, 12(3), 200–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054708315137

• Lange, K. W., Reichl, S., Lange, K. M., Tucha, L., & Tucha, O. (2010). The history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 2(4), 241–255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-010-0045-8

• Martinez-Badía, J. (2015). Who says this is a modern disorder? the early history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. World Journal of Psychiatry, 5(4), 379. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v5.i4.379

• Palmer, E. D., & Finger, S. (2001). An early description of ADHD (inattentive subtype): Dr Alexander Crichton and ‘mental restlessness’ (1798). Child Psychology and Psychiatry Review, 6(2), 66–73. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1360641701002507

• Pera, G. (2022, November 6). ADHD medical history: 1798 with dr. Alexander Crichton. ADHD Roller Coaster. https://adhdrollercoaster.org/adhd-news-and-research/adhd-medical-history-alexander-crichton/

• The history of ADHD part 1: 1798. The History of ADHD" The History of ADHD part 1: 1798. (n.d.). https://adhdhistory.com/the-history-of-adhd-part-1-1798/

• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, December 7). Alexander Crichton. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Crichton