The Washington times., 1917-01-16
POPULAR MEDICINE
BY DR.. HIRSHBERG
Intelligent Observation Of Rules
. of Hygiene win De-
crease illness.
By nR. LEONARD X. HIRsHBERG.

BY nR. LEONARD X. HIRsHBERG.
"Agitophssia," according to DIR.
James Sonnett Greene, director of the
New. York Institute for Speech De-
fects. is "a condition of excessive rap
idity Of speech in which the sounds
or sylIables are unconsciously omitted,
slurred, mutilated, swallowed or in
any way imperfectly uttered. This
causes the speech accent to be dis
torted."
This defect may be apparent or Ia
tent; that is, it may occur with the
first efforts of the child to speak or
appear in the course of development.
1t occurs in children up to the age Of
fourteen, and may be present in
grown-ups.
One OF the essentials OF fluent, we'll
intonated, good enunciation Is a COM
plete coordination between the in
tended thought to be uttered and the
word to be used. In the course of
conversation the thought ought to be
flashed to full finish before the vo-
cal muscles are switched into motion
for the spoken sentence.
Called >Agit0phasia.
In this disorder called "agitophosia''
the intellect is spirited onward so
rapidly that the wish to speak is ex-
cessive and the will supersedes the
muscular action. Speech cannot keep
pace with thought, thought is father
to the deed, and 1t is a matter of
| keeping up with father" ike the
farce of that name.
The upshot of this Is a dispropor-
tion and an inco-ordination or confu-
sion between the attempt to talk and
the motive power to do so. In fine,
ideas are too profuse and rapid for
reproduction vocally. 1t is a physical
impossibility to express the reflection
clearly and distinctly in speech.
Thought overrides speech and the
normal interval between them is gone.
Seen In writing.
Above and behindthis expression
of the condition is a pronounced in.
ability to foucs on the question ut
hand. Attention is not paid to what
is heard. There is q lack of concen-
tration. Words are, therefore, "swal-
lowed" and mutilated. This condition
is not inaptly called "sputtering, clut-
tering, slurring talk"
In accord with Prof. -Greene's
observations, most of these victims
are also affected with "agito-
graphia," a defect OF handwriting
analogous to speech confusion. Just
as the afflicted individual distorts
and skips over syllables in his speech
he does likewise in his writing.
The explanation of both conditions,
agitophasia and agitographia, rests
upon the crossways. switches and CEN
trail exchange wires getting mixed.
A "short-circuit," crossed wires,
grounded wires, battery trouble and
injured insulation at the central sta
tion-the brain and nerves-is at the
crux of the mischief, in other words,
the sense, perceptions and memories
which are transferred from the points
of sensation and tissues to the mus
cIes OF the vocal organs" have been
severed, interfered with or damaged
In some way. The ushal pathway Is
blocked and the impulses must be
shunted in a round about way to the
speech machinery.
Watch Your Speech.
The state Of affairs may be born in a
child or it may be required in later
life by disease. tumors. injuries, or emo
tiOnaI disorders.
Although those who aca disturbed
thus in speech and chirogsaphy are
wholly different from Sufferers and
stammerers, there Is similarity. notably
the ability to recit. dramatically. TO
slG.C and to give orat!cns in eIocutionary
form, are all undisturbed. This gives
:hC clue to rational treatment. which is
made up OF lessons ia rhytomical slow
ness in speech and writing. Operations
o. the nose and throat and the surgical
&C: rection OF othef 1eformities are all
rct essary TO clear away interlerences
with free speech.
language should be as Emerson sail.
"a city to the building Of when every
Iuman being brings a stone" 1t is as
( ITch out OF the abundance of thought
a., Of the heart that the mouth speak
eth" 1t. therefore. behooves every one
| to be natural. smooth. and clear-toned
/ I'm his syllable utterances.
| 4,