THE HISTORY AND CARE OF THE MENTALLY RETARDED IS TRACED FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT. A REVIEW OF MEN WHO ORIGINATED EDUCATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL WORK WITH THE FEEBLEMINDED INCLUDES JACOB PEREIRE, JEAN ITARD, JOHANN GUGGENBUEHL, EDOUARD SEGUIN, AND SAMUEL HOWE. PUBLICATIONS BY AND ABOUT THESE MEN ARE LISTED. THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSTITUTIONS IS TRACED CHRONOLOGICALLY FOR THE COUNTRIES OF FRANCE, GERMANY, GREAT BRITAIN, NETHERLANDS, SWITZERLAND, SCANDINAVIA, AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY, EASTERN EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, BELGIUM, ITALY, AND JAPAN. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF FOUR EARLY MENTAL DEFICIENCY PERIODICALS IS TRACED. THE BREAKDOWN OF IDIOCY INTO ENDEMIC CRETINISM AND MONGOLISM, AND THE DEPARTURE FROM THE NOTION OF HOMOGENEITY TO THE EMERGENCE OF ETIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATIONS ARE REVIEWED. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BEGINNING OF SPECIAL CLASSES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTELLIGENCE TEST BY ALFRED BINET AND THEODORE SIMON, EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE HUMAN SPECIES (EUGENICS), AND NEW TRENDS IN CARE AND STUDY OF THE MENTALLY RETARDED ARE GIVEN. REFERENCE LISTS CITE 310 SOURCES. THIS DOCUMENT WAS PUBLISHED BY CHARLES C THOMAS, SPRINGFIELD, ILL., $6.50. (JZ)