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Mathematical geniuses Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton may have suffered from a form of autism, according to a leading expert in the condition.

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University, says the pair may both have had Asperger syndrome - a type of autism that does not cause learning difficulties.

Professor Baron-Cohen and Ioan James, of Oxford University, assessed the traits of both men for three key symptoms - obsessive interests, difficulty in social relationships and problems communicating.

They concluded Newton seemed like a classic case as he hardly spoke, was so engrossed in his work that he forgot to eat and was lukewarm or bad-tempered with the few friends he had. If no-one turned up at his lectures, he gave them anyway, talking to an empty room. And, he had a nervous breakdown at 50, brought on by depression and paranoia.

Einstein, as a child, was also a loner and repeated sentences obsessively until he was seven-years-old. He later became a notoriously confusing lecturer.

Despite the fact that Einstein made close friends, had numerous affairs and was outspoken on political issues, Professor Baron-Cohen suspects that he too had Asperger syndrome.

He told New Scientist: "Passion, falling in love, and standing up for justice are all perfectly compatible with Asperger syndrome. What most people with AS find difficult is casual chatting - they can't do small talk."

But Glen Elliott, a psychiatrist from the University of California, says he is not so convinced. "One can imagine geniuses who are socially inept and yet not remotely autistic.

"Impatience with the intellectual slowness of others, narcissism and passion for one's mission in life might combine to make such individuals isolative and difficult," he said.

More than 500,000 people in the UK have some form of autism, a developmental disability which affects social relationships and communications. People who suffer from Asperger syndrome have normal or even above average IQs.

Story filed: 06:38 Thursday 1st May 2003

Copyright © 2003 Ananova Ltd

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