MP3 • music-free MP3 • APPLE PODCASTS • RSS • STITCHER • GOOGLE • TRANSCRIPT
There are two versions of this episode. The content is the same, but one version contains background music, the other has none, just speech.
Hans Asperger would have been merely "a footnote in the history of autism", so why did he get to be the eponym in Asperger's syndrome? Because along with the usual problems medical eponyms pose, and his work not really earning him the honour, he collaborated with Nazis and sent children to a hospital where they would be experimented on and even killed.
Activist, writer and academic Morénike Giwa Onaiwu discusses the stigma around terms like Asperger’s syndrome and autism, and historian Edith Sheffer talks about Hans Asperger and child psychiatry in Nazi Vienna.
Content notes: Nazis, eugenics, ableism, child abuse, murder. There is some very grim stuff in this episode.
EXTRA MATERIALS:
“It took me a long time to get brave enough to simply share my diagnosis. My experience did not match the popular understanding of autism, and I knew I had to become an expert in neurobiology in order to untangle the myriad myths surrounding autism – just to beg permission to claim that piece of my identity.” Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis.
“When Autism Awareness Materials are Ableist: Why I loathe April.”
Explore creative works by autistic artists at The Art of Autism.
The problems of removing Asperger’s Syndrome as a separate diagnosis.
Refutation of the assertion that Asperger was not complicit in the abuse and killing of children.
In 2017, new Māori words were coined for autism.
Otherlusionist episodes that are relevant: Name That Disease discusses the problems with eponyms in medicine. And Eugen Bleuler crops up again in Mind My Mind because as well as coining ‘autism’, he came up with terms including ‘schizophrenia’ and ‘ambivalence’.
I’m also on the new episode of Buffering The Vampire Slayer, ‘Welcome to the Helenmouth’, talking about language matters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And I talk with Ross Sutherland of Imaginary Advice about creative work, our mistrust of costume parties, and one of my favourite episodes of his or any podcast Six House Parties, on his patron bonus Imaginary Reprise.
Sign up to be a patron at patreon.com/allusionist and not only are you supporting independent podcast, you get fortnightly patron-exclusive video livestreams and a Discord community full of language chat, craft pics and word game camaraderie!
YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
ultradian
ultradian, adjective, physiology: recurring more than once a day (but less than once an hour). Compare with ‘infradian’.
CREDITS:
Morénike Giwa Onaiwu is an activist, academic, writer and editor of books including the collection Sincerely, Your Autistic Child. She is part of the team that has just launched the Dove Orchids consultancy, which is working to improve jobs, education and representation for autistic people. Her website is MorenikeGO.com.
Edith Sheffer is a historian, academic and author of the book Asperger’s Children: The Origins of Autism in Nazi Vienna. Her website is EdithSheffer.com.
This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman. The original Allusionist music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com, listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch, and hear more of his composition on the science podcast for kids Maddie’s Sound Explorers.
Find the show at twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/helenzaltzman and instagram.com/allusionistshow.
