The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-08-31
-Dietz on Science
CHILDREN Who
MOVE ON ALL
FOURS STUDIED
Tots Who Initiate Animals
Likely to Be Unusually
Strong and Active.
BY DAVID DIETZ
scripps-Howard Science Editor

A childhood trick is being studied
by one of Americas best known
scientists. He is DR.. Ales Hrdlicka,
famous anthropologist Of the Smith
sonian Institution. who is studying
the habit Of children Of identifying
themselves with animals.
The intensity with which some
children enter into this game makes
DR.. Hrdlicka think that perhaps 1t
is an inheritance from ancient pre-
human ancestors.
A few years ago, DR.. Hrdllcka
announced the result of a study OF
more than a decade of children who
run on all tours. He collected in
stances from all parts of the world
Of small infants who ran around on
hands and legs like small animals.
Strong and Active
In every instance he found that
these children were unusually strong
and active. He believes that all in
fants would do the same if they
were sufficiently strong in the
months perior to the time that they
learn to walk.
This running on all fours, he be-
lieves, is an inheritance also from
pre-human ancestors.
Recently, Dr. Hrdlicka has found
that some small children who run
on all fours identify themselves as
animals. The two phenomena. how
ever, are not always found together.
In some instances, DR.. Hrdlicka
says, the imitation Of animals by
children goes SO far that the child
seems to speak and understand "the
language of animals" initiating
their gestures in animal detail.
Regard Selves as Animals
He also finds cases where the chill
dren insist upon regarding them
selves as animals instead Of chill
dren.
There are instances of young
sters who for weeks at a time will
not respond to their own names,
which they know we'll, but will come
Immediately when their mothers adj
dress them as dogs" he says.
Among lonely children in par
ticular this form of behavior may
develop and continue for a long
time. There seems to be a recog-
milton of kinshjp which passes out
of consciousness after early child
hood"
Wants Parents Help
DR.. Hrdlicka is engaged in col
lecting instances of these sorts of
behavior from all over the world.
He is eager to get authentic reports
from parents and others in constant
contact with very young boys and
girls.
There is no reason to believe"
he says, that these forms Of be-
havior indicate any inferiority.
Quite the contrary, in fact, is often
shown by the further natural de-
velopment of the animal children"
Dr. Hrdlicka describes the rather
unusual case reported to him by a
scientist who found small boy and
a pig Wallowing together and grunt-
ing at each other in a mud puddle
in the yard of a lonely western
farmhouse.
Considers Self Pig
The child. who had no human
playmates and whose parents were
too busy to give him much atten-
ton, considered himself a pig, and
behaved in every particular like the
quadruped," Dr. Hrdlicka says. The
two seemed to understand each
other. The boy now is an honor
student in an eastern college.
Another child developed a special
proficiency at initiating horses. He
would render every sound a horse
makes with its hoofs and his parents
could not break him of the habit
for time
Still another boy initiated per-
fectly the bark of every dog in the
neighborhood and seemed to have
mutual understanding with the ami
mails"