Distracted and dazed, from Theophrastus to ADHD

The first specific diagnostic criteria for ADHD were published in 1980 in the DSM III, and in 1993 by the WHO in the ICD 10. But in reality, the precursor of ADHD is much older. Already perceived as distressing in antiquity, and as frankly pathological supported with references to “madness” in seventeenth century France, we find abundant traces in the literary corpus. This article will illustrate this theory with some examples.