Grubb, an inmate at the Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble-Minded Children, ca. 1857
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Also during this time, the U.S. Government made its first attempt to determine the number of persons with intellectual deficiency. Although these efforts may have been flawed by confusing mental illness with intellectual deficiency, there was a reported increase in the number of persons with disabilities during the 19th century:
Census Results for Mental Retardation
| 1850 |
15,706 |
.07% |
| 1860 |
18,865 |
.06% |
| 1870 |
24,527 |
.06% |
| 1880 |
76,895 |
.15% |
| 1890 |
95,571 |
.15% |
Some believed that this increase was due to the large number of "defective" immigrants, and argued for the construction of more and larger institutions. However, there was a significant rise in the entire U.S. population during this time.
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