What Is a Mongoloid Baby?

The term mongoloid baby refers to a child born with Down’s syndrome; however, this term is no longer used and is considered very offensive, according to MedicineNet. Down’s syndrome, or the chromosomal abnormality that leads to impaired physical and intellectual development, is named after John Langdon Down. Down incorrectly attributed the condition to being caused by a reversion to the mongoloid race.

Down theorized that somehow Down’s syndrome was caused by a reversal in evolution that led to a backslide of the superior Caucasian race into an inferior Asian race, according to MedicineNet. Because the term is inherently racist, it is no longer used in most English-speaking countries, but it is still used in some places throughout the world. In 1959, French physician Jerome Lejeune discovered that Down’s syndrome is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21. Because people with Down’s syndrome have three copies of this chromosome, instead of the normal two copies, the condition called trisomy 21 is now recognized as the cause of Down’s syndrome. Down’s syndrome is associated with many small minor malformations, such as a slight flattening of the face, a low nose bridge and a fold of skin over the corner of the eye, and major deformations such as heart defects.