The Detroit times., 1917-09-22
Stammering
nv n. ADDINGroN BRUCE
Author ~ The Riddls OF Person
atty, Psychology and
ParenthoOd, etc.

rs or Is not stammering an In.
herited dcfcct' Is IL not a fact that
most stemmerers have parents or
other relatives who themselves
hammered
Undenisbly stammerers in many
cases DO have stammering relatives
But the common belief in the in.
heritance Of stammering. indicated
by these questions, r. by no mean,
Well grounded
u rests. one may safely say. on
ImP,rfoc, obsery ation.
boy The son of stammcring
/ FATHER begins 10 stammcr A, once
( people say HE must have inherit
Ell that sfammer from his father e"
Question The father, hOwhever To
your surprise YOU are likely 70 learn
NAT che father himself dld not STAN
+ mer until as small child ne was
greatly frightened by something or
vas thrown much into the company
OF some other child or older person
who stammeFed
And u was not until ne began 90
sfammer hat there was any history
on stammerlng IN the family.
Now. even me most iervent adyo
Gates of the omnlpotenoe OF hered-
ity viii halk al the idea that &C
CURED characteristics can be inherit
I'D. That u.s. hey will balk az IL II
hey are grounded IN The principles
~ modern science
Hu~. then. are Ne 20 explain the
,tamnrrine or fathcr and SON
What mat DO, and probably U.s. IN
her.fed hy all siammerers Is an an.
s'at'e nervous constitution But
this is aN NO means the same thing
a. 4 directly inherited speech Dc
feet
Or merely isnihcs thar a siam
mrr,r Or from bir,a. unusually "sug
gesrible H. being Fuggestible. he
~ Wrought info frequent contact with
other etammerers and II a. he same
ame hc is for any reason under
nerN ns strain II IS easy 20 I'm
ds-sfa1d hcN be can thru imitation
hegir hIm ,clf no stammer
On 'hs basis namely that STAN
mrr'rg is essentially symptom of
mental conflict and nervous weak
ness t.er fhan an organic and In
her ad fr0unle W have an ade.
quate explanation for the case men
TONED Hnt for such cases as the
follow u- reported by r Philadel-
anna phtslcian
Several 1ea7s ago saw three in.
t"Tesflns cases OF stammcrinE Two
OF fht r7-r~ We're duo 30 imitation
lhss two lads Who were assO-
<'a'cd with a bot several years old
~ the sDgs stammerer ever saw
clearly IaUated him As they were
constantly together The imitation
almost continuous
rtrt certainly developed INTO OK
rr sfAmmercrs In less than Two
'tr5 We're confirmed stammer
auI f was impossible FOR them
.tak at all without suffering
.ul tswm+rng
he sfammerer when ne b.
alHne tuc unaware that hc is under
rt0'lon Let him read aloud or
raak n u'us cases % ten ne
n ad or peak fuently
fswwer ng were due 10 an
arrtea normally 81 The speech
areaD he could not possibly do this
hr 1id siammnr "a badly as EYER
I.1f tht tammcrinE Is an ac
7-irrd and wholly functional disor
Der srcirred With emharrassmeut
whom me presence ~ other then
fnr tt.lifH l0 speak Auenuy 10 sol.
iula h.comrs understandable
and IN fact medic scierro is
tuo mort ard more incining 20
tfr ytw thaf stammering is az the
hr.t.m DrrV9u, symptom and can
es -. treated bt The psychological
l1A nova kuewn 10 be most sue
ee fsl the treatment ~ AL func
.onI nefrygs waigdies
ON rho Inheritance theory there IS
iitfle or no rcpo Tor stammerers on
DO hoory ~ acquired functional
difficulty fkcJo real hope
p ie surely fortunate thar ever,.
thing points ~ the latter as being