I find it interesting how often I still see and hear "cretins" or "cretinous" being used on TV or in newspapers when words like "spazz" or "mong" might struggle to get past the editor.
A "cretin" in (outdated) medical terms is someone who was affected developmentally because of a thyroid deficiency in childhood. It's not really used by clinicians any more, like spastic or mongoloid. And yet it persists as a term of abuse.
I wonder if it's because thyroid deficiency is very rare and people just don't realise it describes a disability, which is why the usage persists.
A "cretin" in (outdated) medical terms is someone who was affected developmentally because of a thyroid deficiency in childhood. It's not really used by clinicians any more, like spastic or mongoloid. And yet it persists as a term of abuse.
I wonder if it's because thyroid deficiency is very rare and people just don't realise it describes a disability, which is why the usage persists.
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