The Mind of the Child, Part II: The Development of the Intellect, International Education; Series Edited By William T. Harris, Volume IX.Preyer, William T.
Science
The Mind of the Child, Part II: The Development of the Intellect, International Education; Series Edited By William T. Harris, Volume IX.
Preyer, William T.
Child development; Child psychology
"Her gait is tottering, the movements of the head and
extremities jerky, not always co-ordinated, hence unsteady,
inappropriate and spasmodic; her look is restless, objects are
not definitely fixated. The normal functions of her mind are far
inferior to those of a child of four years. The eight-year-old
Margaret speaks only the word _Mama_; no other articulate sound
has been learned by her. She makes known her need of food by
plaints, by sounds of weeping, and by distortion of countenance;
she laughs when presented with something to eat or with toys. It
is only within the last two years that she has become cleanly;
since then her appetite has improved. Her nutrition has gained,
in comparison with the first years of life, and with it her
comprehension also; she helps her mother set the table, and
brings plates and knives, when requested to do so, from the
place where they are kept. Further, she shows a tender sympathy
with her microcephalous brother; she takes bread from the table,
goes to her brother's bedside and feeds him, as he is not of
himself capable of putting food into his mouth. She shows a very
manifest liking for her relatives and a fear of strangers. When
taken into the parlor she gave the most decided evidences of
fear; being placed upon the table she hid her head in her
father's coat, and did not become quiet until her mother took
her in her arms. This awakening of mental activity shows that,
notwithstanding the extremely small quantity of brain-substance,
there exists a certain degree of intellectual development with
advancing years. With the fourth year, in the case of M.,
independent movements began; up to that time she lay, as her
five-year-old brother still lies, immovable in body and limbs,
with the exception of slight bendings and stretchings."
Richard Pott, who (1879) likewise observed this microcephalous subject,
found that she wandered about aimlessly, restlessly, and nimbly, from
corner to corner [as if], groping and seeking; yet objects held before
her were only momentarily fixated, scarcely holding her attention; often
she did not once grasp at them. "The girl goes alone, without tottering
or staggering, but her locomotive movements are absolutely without
motive, having no end or aim, frequently changing their direction.
Notwithstanding her size, the child gives the impression of the most
extreme helplessness." She was fed, but was not indifferent as to food,
seeming to prefer sour to sweet. She would come, indeed, when she was
called, but seemed not to understand the words spoken to her; she spoke
no word herself, but uttered shrill, inarticulate sounds; she felt shame
when she was undressed, hiding her face in her sister's lap. The
expression of her countenance was harmless, changeable, manifesting no
definite psychical processes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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