250 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 175 



Comment 



Although Kroeber (1948) rightly stressed that Mohave myths seldom if ever 

 describe sequences of events in terms of the logical sequence: "because .... 

 therefore," the present case history vividly demonstrates that, in "medicine" 

 at least, the Mohave shaman not only thinks in terms of cause and effect, but 

 is intellectually bold enough to infer the cause from the symptom in terms 

 of a clear-cut etiological frame of reference. The fact that Mohave theories 

 regarding the causes of congenital dumbness happen to be incorrect must not 

 be permitted to obscure the fact that the Mohave shaman was capable of evolv- 

 ing a type of reasoning — ^etiological reconstruction — which is an empirically 

 validated and practically indispensable mode of reasoning also in modern, 

 scientific medicine. 



Since incest, as well as attempts to harm unborn children, are 

 severely condemned by the Mohave, muteness, which sometimes also 

 results from the violation of other pregnancy taboos (Devereux, 

 1948 b), causes considerable concern to the Mohave. 



Hilyera Anyay's statement {1938). — Some women bear children who do not 

 cry even at birth. Such a child never cries. When given commands, the child 

 can carry them out, but when you ask it anything, the child only uses its hands, 

 making signs. I myself have seen such children. They grow up to be men 

 and women, but they never talk. However, their children need not be dumb. 

 It is not inherited. Now I am going to tell you about such a person (Case 72). 



Stammering: 



Stammering is called tcakwar itu :r. 



CASE 73 (Informant : Pulyi :k) : 



Tuhum Hiwey (=drygoods' anus) stammers. 

 Tem^forary aphasia due to overexcitement : 



Tcatc's statement (1938). — [Do you know of anyone who temporarily lost 

 his speech, due to overexcitement?] If people are asked bad (obscene) ques- 

 tions of a kind they are not accustomed to answer, they will hardly be able to 

 find the right words." [The question was repeated, with further explanations.] 

 I know what you mean. I heard of such a case. 



CASE 74 (Informants: Tcatc and E. S.) : 



Hispan Tciiliyak (vagina open), of the Nyoltc gens, must have been about 

 50 or 60 years old in 1875 or thereabouts. He had a house at Parker, just 

 west of where the church now stands. One night his house burned down and 

 when people came running and asked him what had happened, he was so excited 

 he couldn't say anything at all. 



Partial mutism due to neurosis : 



The importance that the Mohave attach to speech disturbances as 

 neurotic symptoms may be inferred from the fact that mutism and/or 

 abnormal speech are mentioned in connection with a great variety of 

 cases. The mformants whom I questioned about a certain boy who, 



''^Thls reply was due to a misunclerstanrling of the question, but was also part of Tcatc's 

 coy pretense of being shocked by sexual questions which, In reality, she enjoyed a great 

 deal and answered in great detail. 



