Evening star., 1948-09-06
Stars, Men and Atoms
Theory Of PsychoonoIysis
Checked by Study of Dogs
Doubt Is Cast on Some Principles
By Labratory Experiment
By Thomas R. Henry

A puppy school, designed to find the
effects Of infant experience on adult behavior,
is being conducted at the Jackson Memorial
Laboratory at Bar Harbor.
Already, according to the report of DR..
Clarence c. Little. director Of the laboratory,
results have been obtained which throw doubt
on some Of the basic theories of psyche.
analysts.
The work, which is being carried on under
grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and
the Public Health Service, is designed to
shed light on the effects both of heredity
and early environment on development Of per-
sonality. This varies about as much in dogs
as in men, but the influence of ancestry is
supposedly more marked in the widely different
canine types.
Already it has been determined, Dr. Littls
reports that dogs Of the same breed are born
different" so far as temperament is concerned.
The time when the greatest effects can bs
produced by experience is between the first
four and ten weeks of life. 1t is then that
the character OF the puppy is moulded, for
good or bad
There is daily observation of changes in the
behavior of the puppies, and the animals are
checked weekly to find the changing attitudes
toward litter mates and their handlers. They
Certain color differences are believed to be
closely associated with emotional differences.
These are handed down from parents to off
spring and afford one of the best clues for
determining If there really Is an hereditary
influence in temperament.
Mice also are being used to study the gene.
sis of temperament. In some, various types
of insanity are being produced purely through
social situations without the use of any drugs.
The effects of alcohol and other drugs on the
temperamental traits Of inhibition and ex.
citablity also are being studied.
Badness, in some FORMS may be due to
secretion of the adrenal glands.
Experiments indicating this have just been
reported to the American Association for the
Advancement of Science by Drs. Wayne
L. Whitaker and Burton L. Baker OF the
University Of Michigan.
Some years ago, they report, 1t was found
that hair growth on rats was greatly stinu-
lated after removal Of the adrenal glands. The
blackness of the hair also increased This
stimulation could be offset by injection Of
adrenal extracts into the blood stream.
In their own experiments Drs. Whitaker and
Baker rubbed various adrenal hormones di-
rectly on the skin. The hair was shaved from
patches on the neck and the rate OF regrowth
when adrenal material was used was checked
with that on similar shaved patches which
were untreated.
For at least one of the hormones, dehydroxi-
corticosterone a marked effect was observed.
This effect was entirely local. No hair follicles
except those directly treated were affected.
Apparently, however, much wider effect can
be produced through the blood stream. They
now are making detailed studies of cell changes
in the treated skin patches and of the effect OF
adrenal hormones on other aspects of growth.
Badness, an increasing disease Of civili-
zation," also has been associated with over
activity of male sex glands with which the
adrenal hormones may be closely associated.
Other forms of badness Of course, are due
to purely local conditions.