Evening star., 1949-12-26
Mounting Problems
Cause Some Persons
ToLose Their Voices

ToLose Their Voices
NEW YORK, Dec. 26, (NANA)
The woman was from an upstate
town and she had come to the Ma
tional Hospital for speech disor-
ders here as a last resort. Eight
months earlier she suddenly had
lost her voice and could not speak
above q whisper. The loss OF her
voice had occurred, she said on the
very day she was to have been
married.
DR.. James s. Greene, founder Of
the hospital and its medical direc-
tor. leaned forward. "On the very
day of the wedding?"
Eyes," the woman replied. She
had gone to bed the night before
perfectly all right, but when she
awakened the next morning, she
found her voice had vanished.
The physician did not at the
moment tell his patient the medi-
cal term, but he was aware that
she was suffering from hysterical
aphonia-sudden loss of voice due
to psychic factors.
History Called Important.
"It is most important in all these
cases to get the history behind the
condition" he told the interviewer.
Questioning brought forth the
woman's history. She was a widow
in her early 40s and the mother
Of a son, 13. It was the son who
caused her anxiety. She felt that
she was getting old and she wor-
ried about who would take care
Of the boy If anything happened
to her. Accordingly. when a friend
proposed marriage, she accepted
even though she did not love him.
mot love him." DR.. Greene told
her, you don't even like him"
The physician explained that
she had wanted to run away, and
losing her voice was the only way
she could manage it. She had an
excuse for postponing the mar
riage. DR.. Greene told her that she
was sacrificing too much for her
son. He pointed out that she was
healthy and able to take care of
herself, and that her son was grow
ing up.
The doctor told her to make
sounds with her voice, any sound,
and assured her that she was able
to. The woman did. Soon she was
speaking normally. But don't
marry for at least a year." the
physician ordered. She hasn't mar
ried yet.
These people are all running
away from something" the physi-
clan said. It might be q respon-
sibility, job, or a mother-in-law.
DR.. Green then told Of the
pleasant young woman, also a|
widow. who had come in, whis-
pering. Her husband had died
some time before, but his mother
continued to stay on in the home.
The young woman worked. and
every night when she came home
the mother law would ask
questions. Not prying, disagree
able questions, but just so many I
Of them.
Disguised With Questions.
One night, when the young
widow arrived home to be met by
her mother-in-law. she found
that she had lost her voice. She
told the physician it was because
Of a cold.
"Oh. no." DR.. Greene said. mot
q cold. You were sick and tired
and disguised with answering the
questions"
The woman was shocked.
"You don't even know It," the |
physician told her. II am the
only person who knows it, but
your mind said to you, Why don't
you lose your voice and then
you're freeT"
DR.. Greene assured her she had
not done it purposely, since she
had not wanted to hurt any one,
but it was the only way she could
escape.
Within an hour he had her talk |
Ing. What happened to the
mother -in-law he did not say.
Hysterical aphonia happens
more often to women than men.
"The cost is too high for a man.
DR.. Greene said. "He is more ag-
gressive; he can attract attention
some other way. It doesn't payt
him to lost his voice"