SURGERY AT THE ILLINOIS

SCHOOL

As has been noted in the Institution Quarterly, the Department of Public Welfare has appointed a State surgeon, Dr. S. W. McKelvey, to hunt out in the charitable and penal institutions cases which should be operated on, to build up in each institution a surgical service.

Some very interesting things have developed as a result of his year's work. For instance, among the children in the State School for the Deaf was a boy who could not open his mouth. His affliction was so great that it was difficult for him to secure enough food for his proper health.

Dr. McKelvey secured the consent of the parents to an operation which he believed would relieve the condition. The boy was taken to the Peoria State Hospital, where there is an excellent surgical service and where he could be under the continuous supervision of the surgeon following the operation. This has been success. Dr. McKelvey makes, for this issue of the Quarterly, the following brief report:

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Frank O'Koren, aged 9 years, was a pupil in the Jacksonville State School for the Deaf and was referred to me because "he was unable to open his mouth." History from his parents states that he had a very severe attack of diphtheria at the age of eighteen months, following which they noticed an increasing inability to open his mouth. The child has always been partially deaf and unable to speak. Examination showed an asymmetrical face, flat on right side, more full on left, impaired muscle action on left; mouth open to greatest extent one-eighth inch between surfaces of teeth.

Diagnosis was made of temporo-maxillary ankylosis of left side.

Operation performed on July 8, 1920, revealing a complete bony union at temporo-maxillary joint; a piece of mandible one-fourth inch wide was removed just below normal site of joint and piece of temporal fascia inserted. As soon as piece from mandible was removed, anestheist was able to open mouth.

Patient has been doing well since operation, has good movement of lower jaw,

eats well, has gained in weight, but the most striking thing is that he is commencing to speak audible words. I believe with training this will improve and he may be able to talk.-The Institution Quarterly (Illinois).

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"SILENT CORKEY" SPEAKS

Patrick J. "Corkey" Hanley has broken silence.

For the first time in eight years a group of intelligible syllables have passed the lips of the famous "silence striker," who was released recently from Charlestown State Prison.

And it may turn out that "Silent Corkey" never went on a strike at all, but was robbed of his power of speech by a nervous shock following an injury to his head.

The Post yesterday asked Dr. Walter B. Swift, of 110 Bay State Road, famous authority on speech correction and aphonia, to confirm a report that Hanley is under his treatment and is able to articulate. Dr. Swift affirmed the story. "Silent Corkey" can now say four words "Mamma, how are you?"-and in the course of time will recover his entire vocabulary, the specialist declares.

"I do not believe Hanley ever went on a silent strike," Dr. Swift said. "I believe he lost his power of speech as a result of a shock received when a brick fell upon his head. The case is one of aphonia, and I cannot understand how he could have remained in prison for eight years without receiving any treatment."

When Hanley was released from Charlestown, October 27, he sought numerous specialists, so the story goes, who told him he could never speak again.

The interesting inside story of Hanley's first speech was explained by Dr. Swift.

"When Hanley came to me," said the doctor, "I made a thorough physical and mental examination. I also made X-ray plates of his skull, and learned that beyond question there was no organic lesion or impairment. In other words, his powers of speech were lost from the nervous shock, just as we find sometimes

in cases of shell-shock. He had been robbed of the ability to combine his vocal powers.

"The result of my findings was so satisfactory and I was so sure of my diagnosis that I took Hanley down to New York with me last Monday, without a bit of treatment, and showed the case to my clinic in speech correction in the New York city schools. At that time he could not speak a word, but his vocal powers were unimpaired and he could vocalize. By that I mean he could laugh and say 'umph.' His respiration also was perfect, and breathing is, of course, the root of speech.

"When I got him up before the class I told him to breathe out, and as he did so, to sound 'm-mm.' The first time he did so with his mouth closed. Then I asked him to say 'm-mm' and open his mouth. The result, of course, was 'ma.' And then 'ma-ma' was easy, and so on with the rest.

"Hanley has perfect co-ordination of mind—that is, when he was able to articulate 'mama' he had no difficulty in understanding the meaning of the word or in employing it again."

Dr. Swift added that the treatment of Hanley's muteness has led to a discovery of still more fascinating elements in his case. "Hanley has what I would call, for want of a better word at the moment, 'a single mind.' In other words, he concentrates tremendously upon one object or one idea, and then, when his attention is disconcerted, his mind flies swiftly to the second object, and the first is completely forgotten. That, and not any criminal instinct, may have been the reason he would steal. An object would attract his mind; it would concentrate upon it to the exclusion of everything else and he seized it.

"I have perfect faith in Hanley's story regarding his loss of speech."

At the present time Hanley is living in seclusion with a family in eastern Massachusetts.

Dr. Swift is one of the best-known specialists in the country on speech correction. He began early in life to prepare himself for this work by securing a thorough training in oratory and public speaking at the New England Conserva

tory of Music. He graduated with an A. B. degree from Harvard in 1901 and was graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1907.-Boston Post.

ME, TOO

I was both interested and amused in reading Mr. O'Connor's experience with the ticket-seller.* It reminded me of a similar experience I had with a druggist's clerk. I escaped without assault, but not without loss of confidence in my ability to read lips.

I was in a drug store recently, and, being thirsty, went to the soda counter and asked for a lime phosphate. The clerk asked me a question, not one word of which I understood. He possessed unreadable lips, and I knew it was useless to ask him to repeat; so I merely repeated my order.

Again he asked me something about it. Again I repeated my request, but in the form of a question. He grew very red in the face and repeated his question. I could see no way out but withdrawal; so I said, "Never mind, thanks. I don't want it." The expression on that clerk's face fairly shouted, "You poor nut. Got rooms to let in the upper story, ain't you?"

As I have always had that same order filled, without questioning, by other clerks in different drug stores, I don't to this day know what he could have asked me; but it will be some time before I muster sufficient courage again to ask for a lime phosphate.

I want to add that if Mr. O'Connor's ticket-seller and my drug clerk had been women, there are nine chances in ten that we should have understood them.

And that leads me to ask, Why is it that women's lips are easier to read than men's? for I think most deafened persons will agree with me that they are. And why do deafened men object to practising lip-reading with women?

I belong to a League that has quite a large membership. In it are some twentyodd men. There are lip-reading classes for both men and women, but there are

* See page 169.

no "co-ed." classes. The men refuse to practise, or study with women.

I am told (let me say it softly) that it is because the women acquire the art more readily. I have also been told that men find women's lips hard to read; but this I question. If it is true, then all the greater need for mutual practise. We are all in the same boat and should help one another. I wish some one who knows would come forward and tell us why Mr. Hard-of-Hearing Man is so shy.-B. M. R.

DEAFNESS A PENALTY

Deafness is usually referred to as a "symptom" rather than a disease. Why not call it a "penalty," a punishment for neglecting the earliest symptoms or signals indicative of ear trouble? The neglect may have been the fault of the parents rather than of the individual sufferer. But some one sinned by omission, and the "penalty" had to be paid, possibly not until years later.

In a pathological sense, there may be a close correlation between blindness and deafness. Blindness is often the penalty paid for some one's lack of proper care of early eye trouble. Deafness may be the penalty for failure to consult an ear specialist when early symptoms of ear troubles were evident from the danger signals. There is, possibly, a daily almost imperceptible impairment of hearing going on in neglected cases of ear trouble; therefore it is economically wise to pay attention to the premonitory symptoms of ear trouble, and thus avoid having to pay the penalty in later life.

Some day, seemingly very suddenly, the ear may appear to have lost its natural vitality; it no longer functions as it should; its delicate mechanism no longer readily responds to the impact of the sound waves on the membranous curtain, or drum-head, that forms the beginning of the middle ear. Yet that "suddenness" may have been "coming on" during many years. The driver who day after day neglects to tighten the nuts on the bolts in his car need not wonder how it all happened, should a bolt drop out and leave the car stranded far from a garage. It is possible for the driver to walk back over the route driven and find the miss

ing bolt, or he can obtain a new one at a supply-house. But such easy replacement is not possible with the intricate mechanism of the ear. Therefore, when the ear or the sense of hearing sends out a signal that it is growing weary, that it is "tired," pay attention to that signal, even though there may be no feeling of fatigue in any other part of the body.-Fred De Land.

A PITIABLE CASE

We have as a new pupil, a girl, who, as to age and physical development, is just entering young womanhood, but as regards her mental age she is hardly more than an infant. She has not been a resident of this State long, having moved from an adjoining State the past summer, so far as we know. She has been kept at home either through ignorance on the part of her parents or through a desire for the physical power she could develop-the work she could do at home. There is a school for the deaf in her native State, a good one, and either her parents did not know of the school or, knowing, did not care-a shame or a

crime.

The girl in question was brought to school by interested parties, not the parents, on the date school was supposed to start, two weeks earlier than our opening, and she was allowed to stay, or rather, she was kept. She was wild as a deer and knew absolutely nothing, even about feeding herself, except to put food in her mouth with her fingers. She was afraid of a fork and would not put food in her mouth with one. She is learning ordinary table manners and occasionally shows an interest in the kindergarten hand-work. It is one of those cases in which it is difficult to determine whether the person is feeble-minded or notwhether the backwardness is lack of mentality or lack of training; and the pity, and the shame; and the crime of it all is that in this day and age an afflicted. child, for amelioration or correction of whose affliction schools or institutions abound, should be allowed to grow to womanhood before any attempt is made to find where she belongs-in a school or in some eleemosynary institution.The Silent Hoosier.

PROGRESS OF THE JAPANESE ORAL

SCHOOL

About a year ago THE VOLTA REVIEW published a letter from Mr. John D. Wright, telling about the establishment of an oral school in Japan. The following letter, written to Mr. Wright by an American lady connected with a Japanese mission, tells of the progress of the little school:

TOKYO, JAPAN, November 23, 1920. MY DEAR MR. WRIGHT:

I want to express again our thanks for the help given in the correspondence course. We have had three papers translated, and the last of the three is to be given out at our mothers' meeting next week. Last month we had a large meeting at our home, 18 members of the children's families being present. There were two grandfathers, two grandmothers, two fathers, and even a brother and sister present. It was a very happy occasion. The regular program was followed by refreshments and games with the children in our garden. Next month we have a Christmas tree here-the children's first Christmas-with presents from our church in Chicago.

I am enclosing an article from one of our Japanese dailies. The reporter is a young woman who visited the school. There is a good deal of publicity work going on through visitors.

This week Miss Kramer represents our

school at the annual meeting of the teachers of the deaf in Nagoya. She has been asked to speak on "Deaf Oral Work in America." We were happy to be recognized and invited.

There are at present 20 pupils in the schooltoo many, Miss Kramer and I feel. But Mr. Murakami thought that should be our limit, and we consented. It makes the finding of a third teacher imperative. The number of applicants has been more than double that number.

Mrs. Hata continues her weekly lessons with me, and we feel much encouraged over her ability to teach the children speech-reading as well as to do the regular Kindergarten work. We are very grateful for your help and also for the material so kindly sent.

This will reach you at the holiday season and I wish to add my word of Christmas greeting to you and Mrs. Wright. May the New Year add to your store of happiness.

With all good wishes, I am very sincerely

yours,

HELEN O. REISCHAUER.

NOTE.-Mrs. Reischauer recently sent the accompanying picture to THE VOLTA REVIEW. Her husband, at the rear of the picture, is holding their own little deaf girl, who has been, until December, 1920, at the McCowen School Home in Chicago.

Mrs. Reischauer says: "These attractive children make us long to be able to open the doors to the many little ones who are going without any education."