Description
This illustration, meant to depict E. R. Johnstone’s classifications of what he defined as “feeble-minded” people, appeared in the 1915 report <i>Mental Defectives in Virginia</i>, issued by the State Board of Charities and Corrections. The image depicts five different levels of the “feeble-minded,” next to steps indicating what work they are capable of completing. An “Idiot” is at the bottom of the steps, with the following categories ascending step by step, “Low Grade Imbecile,” “Medium Imbecile,” “High Grade Imbecile,” and “Moron” at the top. The report recommended segregation and sterilization of the feeble-minded.
