Chap. XXVIIL] AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES. 607 



previously spoken a single word. The same words could 

 not be repeated, nor were others spoken, notwithstanding 

 all entreaties, for a period of two weeks.* Thereafter the 

 boy progressed rapidly, and speedily became most talk- 

 ative. When seen by the writer he spoke in an ordinary 

 manner, without the least sign of impediment or defect.+ 

 No explanation of such facts seems possible, except on 

 the supposition that Speech has now become a truly 

 automatic act for human beings, and that if children do not 

 speak at birth this is in the main due to the fact that 

 their nervous systems are still too immature. But when, 

 in the natural course of development, the parts concerned 

 have become properly elaborated, the highly complex move- 



* An emotional is much stronger than a volitional stimulus — 

 a thing of higher tension — so that it may occasionally force its way 

 along channels and against resistance which the volitional stimulus 

 alone has been unable to overcome. Illustrations of this are fre- 

 quently to be met with among persons who, from the effects of 

 disease, have temporarily lost the power of speaking. Such indi- 

 viduals occasionally utter some wo'-d or short phrase under the in- 

 fluence of Emotion which they are afterwards quite unable to repeat. 



f Although there seemed no room for doubt as to the credibility 

 of the above narrative, still, on account of the extraordinary nature 

 of the facts, it may be well to remark that it was completely con- 

 firmed by the governess who had previously had the care of the 

 child, and who was present on the occasion of this first and un- 

 taught act of Articulate Speech. A proof of this sheet has also 

 been submitted to the father, who, in reply to my enquiry as to 

 whether anything required to be altered in the account above given, 



writes (Jan. 9th, 1880) : — " The statement as to my boy A is 



perfectly correct." On mentioning this case to a distinguished 

 physician, he informed me of a closely related fact. His eldest 

 daughter up to the age of two years had not walked a step, or even 

 tried to walk, when one day he put her down in the standing position, 

 and to his great surprise as well as to that of the nurse, she walked 

 from one side of the room to the other. Thin also was an untaught 

 act, as there had been no previous trials and failures (see p. 562). 



