The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-09-22
SIanmering
BN "a. NDDINGToN aRUCn
Author OF The Riddle or rerson-
atty" Psychology ana
Parenthood." etc.


Is or IS not stammering an In
herited defect? Is Il not fact that
most stRmmersrs have parents or
other relatives who themselves
,tammered'
Undeniahly stammerers In many
cases DO have stammering relatives.
But the common belief in the. IN
heri,ance OF stammering. indicated
by these questions. is by no means
wen grounded.
1, rests. one may safely say. on
imperfect obsery dtion.
A boy the son OF stammering
/ father, begins 20 stammer. AT once
people say He must have inherit.
81 that stammer from his father ="
Question the father. howhever To
/ your surprise YOU are likely 70 learn
/ that the father himself did not STAN
I mer until as a small child he was
greatly frightened BY something or
was thrown much into the company
OF some other child or older person
who stammered.
And IL was not until he began 20
siammer that there was any history
or stammcring in the family
Now, even the most tervent advo-
Gates OF the omnipotence OF hered.
lty viii balk al the idea that &C
| quired characteristics can be inherit
cd That is. hey will balk az Il II
I "a M In trf.
OF modern sciepce.
How then. nre we 10 explain the
siamncring % father and SON.
What may be. and probably is. Ia.
heri'ed by all stammerers is an an.
stable. nervous constitution Bur
this b. by no means the same thing
As a directly inherited speech de-
feet
II merely signifies that STAN.
merer is from birth. unusually "sug
gesubie H. being sugEestlble, he
rs brought into frequent contact with
other stammerers and II az the same
time he is for any reason under a
nrrs Gus strain. II Is easy TO I'm
dfrsrand how DO can thru imitation
begin himself 90 stAmmer
ON has hasis-namely thar STAN
merng Is essentially a symptom OF
mental conflict and nervous weak
ness rather than AT organic and Ia
her ted fT0uhiewe have an ade
quate explanation FOR the case men
toned and for such cases as the
following reported By a Philadel
ghia physician
Several Years ago ! saw three IN
f-- ~ -
OK the cases We're due 20 imitation
asso Two lads. Who were asso
ciared With "a b0V several years old
e. the worst s-ammerer Z ever saw.
clearly initiated him As they were
constantly together the imitation
was almost continuous
Fhey certainly developed into OF
pert staumerers In less than two
years fhey we're confirmed stammer.
efs. and q was Impossible Tor them
70 speak az an without suffering
and -tammrring
Take stammerer whom he is
alone aud unaware that ne is under
ooserf auon let him read aloud. or
speak In nine cases OF ten be
Vii read or speak 9uently
IL bis stammerlnE were due 70 an
Inherited aanormallty al the speech
organs he could not possibly do this
Hc would sfammer ~ badly az ever.
Bur IL the stammering Is an &C.
CURED and wholly functional disor
der associated With embarrassment
W en- in the presence % others. then
the ability 20 speak auently in soil.
fude becomes understandable
And. ia fact. medical Fcience is
TODAY more and more inclininE 20
the view thai stammering rs AZ The
bottom nervous symptom. and can
best be treated By the psychological
method nov known 20 be most sue.
crssful ln The treatment 81 all func.
'iOnal nervous maladies
ON Tho inheritance theory there Is
iittle OF no nope for siBmmerers on
fhc tneorf oi acquired functional
difficulty ftore rs real hope
r is surely fortunate that every
thing points 90 the latter as being,
the correct theory