Clinical report on Robert Bates's cure for stammering : clinic of Jefferson Medical College, services of Professor Dunglison, February 21st, 1852 / reported by J. Aitken Meigs. Report of the Committee on Science and the Arts of the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania, on Robert Bates's instruments for the cure of stammering.

  • Dunglison, Robley, 1798-1869.
Date:
[1854]
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Credit: Clinical report on Robert Bates's cure for stammering : clinic of Jefferson Medical College, services of Professor Dunglison, February 21st, 1852 / reported by J. Aitken Meigs. Report of the Committee on Science and the Arts of the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania, on Robert Bates's instruments for the cure of stammering. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    ducing a sudden arrestation ot' the issuing column of air.* Later researches, however, have shown that this is true of the guttural sounds only. Dr. Carpenterf is disposed to consider that the proximate cause, in the majority of cases, is a disordered action of the nervous centres of a centric origin. This is proved by the close analogy which prevails be- tween the phenomena of stammering and those of the general disease, chorea. The great difficulty, in by far the largest number of cases, is to be sought for in the spasmodic action of certain of the muscles con- cerned in the production of voice and in articulation, which spasmodic action impedes or entirely arrests the column of sounding breath. This view is particularly contended for by Dr. Dunglison.J Dr. Arnott§ proposes, as a cure for the disease, that the patient should connect all his words by a vocal intonation, in such a manner that there shall be no stoppage of breath. This is, undoubtedly, the correct prin- ciple, although it often fails in consequence of the method advocated, not being able to carry out the principle in all cases. This was observed by Miiller, who admits that the plan is founded on a sound physiological view of the nature of the affection, but urges the very proper objection, that though it may and does afford some benefit, it cannot do everything, since the main impediment occurs in the middle of words themselves. This is a legitimate objection, as shown by the fact, that the temporary inability to enunciate may occur at the commencement of either syllable of a word, especially those commencing with a consonant; the vowels being formed between the vocal cords, and issuing without change, while the consonants require for their enunciation difficult and often com- plex and delicate movements of the muscles concerned in articulation. Mr. Bates, by an independent course of investigation and observation upon himself and others laboring under stammering, has arrived at the same conclusion concerning the difficulty to be overcome as is entertained by the modern physiological school. The instruments invented by him are all based upon the same princi- ple, and, in the opinion of the committee, are more efficient in obviating the vocal defect in question than any other contrivance or method with which they are acquainted. As the spastic difficulty obviously accom- panies different sets of letters in different persons, Mr. B. has invented three varieties of instruments, as applicable to all the forms of stammer- ing, all having the same object in view, however—the maintenance of an uninterrupted current of sonorous breath. His instruments are as follow :— 1. A narrow, flattened tube of silver, £ths of an inch in length, very light, thin, and smooth. The diameter of the calibre of the tube, mea- sured from the inner edge of one side to the inner edge of the other, is |tbs of an inch, while the depth, measured from the anterior inner edge to the posterior, is ^th of an inch. This is applied to the roof of the mouth, in the median line, in such a manner that the anterior end is •Miiller.—Elements of Physiology, I Carpenter's Principles of Human Physiology. tMedical Examiner, July, 1852.