St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-09
DEAFNESS IN THE BLOOD.
Strange Affection Which May Be
Caused by Intermarriage Of
Relatives.

w nICh NAdY DO
Caused by Intermarriage Of
Relatives.
Philadelphia Record.
Among the families that will be
d rlVeD sfrom their homes on Petty's
Island by the dredging out of the har-
Dor is that of Ralston Laird. With his
wife and children he has lived there
thirty-Seven years. and all his ten chill
dren save one have been born there;
but the fact that four of these children
have been deaf and dumb since birth
gives the story interest and pathos.
Lizzie. Maggie. Rosanna and Nellie
are the four whose young days have
been spent in silence. The three latter
have for four years been inmates of the
institution for the deaf and dumb. at
Broad and Pine streets, and the elder
sister used to be there.
I'VE can't tell what brought the mis-
fortune on u.s." said Mrs. Laird yester-
day. They say that when relatives
marry the children are often in some
way defective; but Mr.. Laird and I
were absolute strangers when we first
met. It's Gods d0ingS, and nothing
else. He wants to show what He can
do, and we must bow to Him. Our four
children are not high-tempered and
quarrelsome, like some deaf mutes, but
are good and obedient. Katie, another
of our children who can hear and speak,
has learned sign language. and uses 1t
as well as any of the four"
at is very remarkable fact how
deafness runs in certain families" said
Principal A. l.. E. Crouter, of the deaf
and dumb asylum, when the story Of
the Lairds was called to his notice.
''The truth of the matter is that there
are several families in this state, vari-
Gus members of which we have had in
the institution ever since it was started,
and will have for many years to come.
There are the Zimmermanns, of Steel
ton, Dauphin county: the Purveses,
of this city; the Williams, of Shoe
makersville, BerkS county; the
Blairs and others always repre-
scented here. When the name doesn't
appear on our rolls we think it strange.
We have two Zimmermanns here
now. Deafness came into the family
through the mother, who was Blair.
and had three deaf mute sisters. There
are seven or eight of the PurveS family
who are deaf and dumb.
Another interesting family is the
Robbs, who live at No. 712 Webb street.
John M. Robb, a Stonecutter; James
Robb, a weaver, and Herbert Robb, who
is in the Institution, are three brothers,
all born deaf. John married wife
who was somewhat deaf, and all his
three children-Florence, Walter and
Lillie-are deaf mutes from birth.
''We have in the asylum now two
Aliens, from Wyoming county, both of
whose parents are deaf mutes, as well
as two other children; two Campbells,
from Juniata county, three of whose
brothers and sisters are deaf: two Gar
lets, from LackaWanna county, three of
whose brothers and sisters are deaf;
four LitZenbergers,f from Lehigh county,
all born deaf, and SchantZ, from Juni-
alta county, in whose family there are
three other deaf muteS.
sit is sometimes hard to say why
families are thus strangely afflicted
with deafness. Sometimes the deaf in
termarry, and children may inherit the
trouble, but that which often leads to
deaf mute progeny is the intermarriage
of relatives. There are countless
cases recorded which show how disease
and deformity of all kinds may result
from such unions. | am speaking, of
course, of children born deaf. The con-
dition of those made deaf by disease is
much more easily eXplainable.
"But it occasionally happens that
from the marriage of those who are no
relation whatever, and are in full pos
session of hearing and speech, come off
spring born deaf. Science is trying to
explain why is so. believe myself
that a child may be born deaf because
the mother during conception comes
suddenly upon deaf child and is
keenlv impressed by its affiiction. 1t
seems as though the mental photograph
made is impressed upon the unborn
child -