Sons and daughters beyond your control: episodes in the prehistory of the attention deficit/hyperactivity syndrome.

Hyperactive and inattentive children have been discussed in both the pedagogic and medical literature since the nineteenth century, and many controversies associated with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been repeatedly analyzed in different contexts. The 'prehistory' of the ADHD concept-that is, up to the definition of ADHD in DSM-III and of the corresponding 'hyperkinetic disorder' in ICD-9-is outlined, with an emphasis on the literature not previously discussed in English language reviews of the subject.