1775
Melchior Adam Weikard, a prominent German physician, described many of the symptoms now associated with the inattentive dimension of ADHD in his textbook, Der Philosophische Arzt. For this he prescribed solitary confinement in a dark space, as well as cold baths, steel powders, mineral waters, horseback riding and gymnastics.
1798
Sir Alexander Crichton, a Scottish-born physician, described a mental state much like the inattentive subtype of ADHD in his book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Origin of Mental Derangement. Although he described the condition as “rendering someone incapable of attending with constancy to any one object of education”, he did find that it generally diminished with age.
1902
Sir George Frederic, a British paediatrician, observed “an abnormal defect of moral control in children”. He found that some affected…
