People labelled mentally deficient could be segregated and controlled.
The Mental Deficiency Act 1913 created legal categories of mental deficiency and allowed people to be detained in institutions or placed under guardianship.
The Act was shaped by eugenic thinking and fear of people labelled defective. It is one of the darkest roots of disability law in the UK.
This is why Awareverse is careful with categories. A category can become a cage.
A common mistake is seeing legal language as neutral. Legal words can carry ideology.
Who had power here, who was left outside, and what would have changed if the human being was seen first?
These deep dives open out from this part of the timeline.