Can speech present a sign of congenital syphilis? : first note, three cases / by Walter B. Swift, M.D., Boston, Instructor in Neuropathology, Tuft's College Medical School ; in charge Voice Clinic, Boston State Hospital, Psychopathic Deptartment.

  • Swift, Walter Babcock, 1868-
Date:
[1915?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Can speech present a sign of congenital syphilis? : first note, three cases / by Walter B. Swift, M.D., Boston, Instructor in Neuropathology, Tuft's College Medical School ; in charge Voice Clinic, Boston State Hospital, Psychopathic Deptartment. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    have a new and easy avenue to finding syphilis in parents; and thus lead to steps of prevention not otherwise approachable. Some may feel that the functional evidence 1 offer is not sufficient. I would add a word to refute this. * When in Berlin I presented my temporal lobeless dog to the Berlin Neurological Society. some one objected that I had not offered anatomical proof. My chief, Professor Jacobsohn, then arose and said, “The functional evidence is sufficient.” So here, the monotony, the harshness, and the low pitch in incurable forms, are conclusive evidence of perma¬ nent structural change. I consider the speech mechanism as the easiest avenue to the earliest symptoms of many a nervous and mental change. But we are not yet quite sen¬ sitive enough to catch this message! This paper is one of a series of contributions to this early aspect of mental hygiene, which will aid in diagnosis of vague cases in the interest of prevention. Let me emphasize again that the hope along the line of pre¬ vention is that this sign may show up some syphi¬ litic cases that would otherwise remain unknown. It has already done so in the cases mentioned above. Once this voice sign is known and through practice can be easily recognized merely by listening, it then will be a key not only to the case in hand with brothers and sisters but to parental conditions as well.