The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-11-10
BABY LIFE.
How the Embryotic Human Receives
His Impressions.
New York Times

The Medical Record reproduces in its cur.
rent number the leading features of the
studies of Prof. w. Prayer, of Jena, in a
field as yet almost unbrJken, that is, in the
psychological study of infants. This study
begins, the professor says, with the observa.
ton of the movements and sensations of Il
child, and then proceeds to note the de, elop-
ment of the different senses, the formation OF
speech, etc, and the effect Of these things in
awakening the Intelligence. The first mani
leslatlon of voluntary motion occurs about
the fourteenth week, when the infant begins
to hold pits head. After four months the
head is usually balanced we'll aud at ten
months the power TO sit up WAS acquired.
Ability to stand was usually, in the cases
studied by the professor gained suddenly at
the end of the first year. The first grasping
motion Of the hand in the first quarter wear
are entirely reflex and mechanical, the first
voluntary attempt to take hold of an object
not being noticed before the seventeenth
week. The child docs not show self.concious.
ness, knowledge of its independent exist.
ence, until the second quarter of The second
year. The sensibility Of t1e skin of d new
born child is very low, and it will give no
signs of discomfort If it be pricke1 on the
nose, lips or hands The eyes, too, close
slowly when touched, and do not close at all
in the bath. An increase of sensibility ap-
pears in day or two after birth. All in.
fants are deaf at birth, because the outer ear
is closed and there is ms yet no air in the
middle ear. A response to strong sound
is observed, at the earliest, in six hours, but
often not for day or two. The awakening
of the sense may be detected by the blinking
which loud noise occasions. No other or
gan is thought to contribute to the intel.
lectual development Of the CHILD so much AS
the ear. The first perceptions are those OF
light. The infant shuts its eyes as soon as
light enters them within week it turns its
glance to the window, but it is three weeks
before the eyes will follow light moved be.
fore them. The stupid expression on the
child's face does not leave it until the second
year, and the face grows more human and
spirited with the increase of the power of
seeing intelligent'y. The power to distin-
guish colors follows that of Intelligent atten.
ton, and light and bright colvrs are prefer
red; but the power to distinguish them by
name does not come until the beginning o
the third year. The recognition of form,
size and distance comes slowly. In the frs,
month the infant pays no attention TO the
swiflest approach of the persons hand to its
face, and in the third year ii will show iguo-
rance of size and no appreciation of distance
The professor set down in writing every
sound uttered by a child during its first two
years, which could be so represented At first
only vowels are heard, but even in the first
five weeks those sounds were so diversified as
to express different feeling. Thus, the pro
fessor says, the periodically broken cry Will
knit eyes donate hunger; the continuous
whine, cold; and the high, penetrating tone
pain. The consonant.m was heard in the sew
enth week, and in the seventh month b, d, n
V, and rarely G, h and k, were distinguished
Imperfect limitations of sound were heard il
the sixth month, and at this time voices be.
gin to be distinguished by the child. Grea
progress is made in the limitations of sound
after the third half year, and the powers O.
articulation become well developed by tn,
fourth half year.