I remember a long thread about Aspergers Syndrome, or it ended up that way, beside the one that Jeri and Claire pointed out. Maybe 18 months ago?   I contributed several times, unlike this one.
Quite a few musicians, scientists, computer experts, and people in similar professions requiring long-term concentration and persistence and the desire to form order out in the world seem to exibit the personality type.
Silicon Valley is said to be Aspergers central, and becoming more pronounced as aspies marry aspies.

What happened to them in the past? They were priests in primitive times, for a guess, later moving into science and music. High-functioning aspergers, of course.
I don't like to think of what happened to the severe ones, and the autistic people.