Hearing Stories Research Articles

Thalidomide and Related Compounds

To the Editor:— In the June 30, 1962, issue ofThe Journal( 180 :1106), there appears a special communication, A Study of the German Outbreak of Phocomelia, by Helen B. Taussig, M.D., on which we would like to comment. This relates to the statement beginning on page 1108: Thalidomide is a synthetic drug which, as the story is told in West Germany, was first conceived and made by Ciba and found by them to have no effect on animals;... The story heard by Dr. Taussig is not accurate, since Ciba neither conceived nor made thalidomide and was never associated with its clinical investigation. Dr. Taussig has also commented briefly inThe Journalarticle, but more extensively in her testimony before the Celler Committee and in her article in the current issue of Scientific American , that glutethimide (Doriden) is similar in molecular structure to thalidomide. Attention is called to the formulae

Development of reading readiness through instruction

The factor of reading readiness has been the topic of much writing and more discussion. It is generally recognized that the child who enters the first grade needs a galaxy of abilities of some maturity in order to cope successfully with the task of learning to read. A canvass of the field of educational literature on this topic reveals a paucity of material dealing with the problems of instruction for the development of reading readiness on the part of the child who enters the public school without it. There is a need for a clear understanding of the methods of instruction and stimulation which may be employed to develop the stabilizations, understandings, language power, and appreciations on the part of the child who enters the school without them. This discussion therefore will not deal with the diagnostic aspects which are essential for the best understanding of the child and constitute a safeguard against injury or blocking of the normal maturation of the beginning reader. The diagnosis should cover the physiological, psychological, social and emotional aspects of the child so that focal points of deficiency may be screened out and isolated for study and remedial treatment. There are, however, many children who demonstrate normal abilities in physical, intellectual, social, and emotional characteristics but who do not manifest interests in the printed page, in hearing stories read to them, or in learning to interpret symbols of any kind. These children need constructive and systematic instruction in relation to the factors which constitute the pedagogical background of readiness to read. Suggestions will be made in the following paragraphs for a teaching program to develop reading readiness. While a few children in each group are handicapped for one reason or another and need specialized individual attention, there are many others who can be guided through instruction into readiness for reading. The child must be stimulated to the point that he wants to read and is interested enough in reading to do it. In many cases this desire must be developed in the child by the teacher.1 On this subject Hildreth