The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-11
MAKING THE DEAF TO HEAR.
The Back of the Hand as a Medium of Vocal
Communication-AN New Method.

The Back of the Hand as a Medium of Vocal
Communication-A New Method.
New York Tribune.
At Mystic River Conn, lives Mr.. Whpple,
the discoverer of the new method Of teaching
mutes to talk. A half-grown boy, with the eye
of an eagle, met the curious visitor at the door.
It's this Mr.. Whipples"
Eyes, sir.
''Is he at home"
81 will see Please walk into the parlor" and
he went up stairs, soon returning with the in
formation that-'Father' would be 5i0,y, - m a
minute
Mr.. Whipple" SAID The visitor when the faith
er came III, y Gin here to ask you something
, ABOUT your method of teaching mutes. VIII you
explain it to me9'
Certainly. One of my boys was born a
mute | decided that he should learn TO talk as
well as his brothers. We all learn to talk by
imitation; that is, we merely repeat like parrots
what we hear and gradually learn to know the
meaning of words and sentences. A deaf child
has not the power of initiating, simply because
| it can hear nothing to initiate. OF course, it is
easy enough to teach such child to read silent
ly and to give expression to its thoughts by
signs. All deaf-mute colleges teach this 1t is
just as easy, contend to teach such unfortu-
nate creatures to express themselves orally, as
we do. All we have to do is to convey to their
senses the sound of words With my boy [
have discovered how to do this and, while he can
not hear it thunder, he can converse with any
hne with perfect ease"
He beckoned to the boy who had admitted the
visitor, and, taking him by the hand, introduced
him as Johnny"
"Why, he is not deaf" said the visitor HE
talked with me at the door and heard every
thing 1 said"
mot heard but saw If he closes his eyes he
can understand nothing though you should yell
it in his ear"
Johnny smiled assent to this He then asked
his father the visitors name. Thinking to test
him the latter gave fictitious name of four
syllables, and pronounced it indstnctly The
| boy did not seem to understand. 1t was re-
peated. Still he could not catch it. He then
held the back of his hand near the speakers
mouth, and asked him to repeat it once more.
which being done in low Tone he smiled and
Immediately pronounced it in turn. The visitor
began to open his eyes in establishment. He
! conversed with the boy several minutes and
could hardly realize that he was talking to one
entirely deaf. Johnny did not once take his
eyes from the speakers mouth, but was evi-
IDENTIFY watching every expression. Once or
twice he failed to understand peculiar words
but by placing the back of his hand in front. of
and about four inches from the visitors mouth,
he readily caught any word, however difficult
and strange.
The boy would close his eyes, and, holding his
hand in position, the fingers closed and the skin
drawn tight he would converse. The hand re-
moved, he could do nothing. The exhibition was
deeply interesting
After many discouraging experiments" said
munication between my voice and Johnny's
sense of hearing, l hit upon the back of the
hand. The result exceeded my fondest anticipa-
tons, and have come to the conclusion that,
next to the tympanum of the ear, the most deli
cate, sensitive part of the human body is the
tightly stretched membrane between the wrist
and knuckles. The experiments just tried illus
trate this The boy can catch any sound whose
vibrations come in contact with it with sufficient
force"
Mr.. Whipple then showed diagram by the
use of which classes could be taught where it
would not be practicable on so large a scale to
utilize the hand. 1t represented the human face
and throat cut in half, displaying all the organs
of speech. Upon this diagram any word to be
pronounced was placed upon the organs which
were used in speaking it. Labials dentals,
linguals and palatal were given their proper po-
sitions, and the action of any or all the organs
used in their pronunciation was shown in the
simplest manner. The child soon learned to
read with facility So great became the power
of association that the sight of any word at once
suggested what organs were required to sound it.
"The age of miracles has passed. they tell
us" said Mr. Whipple, as he and Johnny babe
the visitor goodbye, "but we have learned how
to make the dumb speak and the deaf hear"