- Email: [email protected]
Nix to a Universal Language
CORRESPONDENCE
local school board or parent-teacher organization, can do something to help this situation. In surveying one's experiences with children who have specific reading disabilities, it appears that about 20 percent of all children have at least some reading difficulty. The incidence varies somewhat from area to area and country to country. It would seem that about two thirds of these are relatively mild and improve in the standard classroom through the use of the usual comprehensive teaching techniques if given enough time without emotional stress. Some look upon these children as having a degree of retardation in the development or maturation of the function of the angular gyrus. Not all cerebral functions mature at the same rate in all children. Thus, reading readiness in the first grade at school must be recognized and evaluated. Of the remaining one third, about two thirds will require, and improve through, the use of special remedial reading techniques, intensively applied, usually on an individual basis. The remainder represent a hard core, which tends to be resistant to even the most intensive care by presently known methods. It is possible that this group represents children with some organic brain damage. John V. V. Nicholls.
CORRESPONDENCE Nix
TO A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE
Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology: The quest for a universal language probably began when man first transcribed, with melancholy, I am sure, the story of the Tower of Babel. How often in times since have we damned those enterprising men in their desire to build a structure to discover God and the resulting chaos of linguistic differences ?
937
Kato (Am. J. Ophth., 59:722, 1965) suggests the use of Esperanto to deliver us from this chaos. Karger (Am. J. Ophth., 58:699, 1964) wishes to establish English as an international scientific language. I feel that a universal language is an ideal that can never become a reality. Of course it would be helpful if one could attend international meetings and be able to understand all of the papers presented. It would also be gratifying to read a scientific journal from any section of the world and not have to be content with abstracts of the article and/or the illustrations. But, what of the work involved in learning a new language ? Many find little difficulty in learning to read a language because the words are already "in storage" in books and lexicons, ready for the eye to see and the brain to recognize. But, when, in order to speak a language, the student tries to transfer these words from books into his own cerebral storehouse, ready to be used by his tongue at a moment's notice, that is the bridge over which so few cross. Centers for word memory and word formation are formed only after persistent study and endless repetition. The intelligent child requires approximately 15 years of precollege training to know his mother tongue, while the intelligent man, in his busy life, seems to require at least five years to half-master a new language. Do any of us have this kind of time—or endurance? The ability to acquire and retain a new language is a talent possessed by many, but very few, indeed, stimulated only by the international meeting, would keep up their imperfectly acquired language for the sake of the next meeting. The ability to think coherently and with facility in a foreign language takes years of consistent practice. An international language can never become a reality until its teaching becomes the goal of educational systems at the primary school level. Even then, can we be sure that this measure, taken by all countries and
938
CORRESPONDENCE
practised in all schools, will lead to rapport with all peoples? A language is not a synthetic compound put together with a formula. It grows out of a people's culture, develops and expands as much or as little as that culture allows, and acquires meanings and connotations which bear a relation to that culture only. Almost everyone who has had the experience of speaking to one of another nationality knows only too well that using the right words in the right order does not always create understanding. May I suggest that authors try, for the time being, simpler measures for improving the situation? Let them make their first small contribution to the universality of understanding by simplifying their own writings. That is : think, talk and write directly ! Must we have ideas involuted and convoluted in long, graphomanic sentences ; vocabularies that are bedecked and beflowered, thus concealing and obscuring the meanings of words piled crazily upon more words ? W h y should the scientific mind shun the simple statement of scientific fact? H o w much easier for the translator ! H o w much easier for the scientist-reader ! And, more important, let the scientist publish to add something valuable and important to the literature. Granted that the scientific explosion is overwhelming; is this endless stream of print unqualifiedly necessary? Indexers and abstractors gasp at the ever-accelerating flow and cannot help wondering if the best interests of the scientists are being served by this abundance of uncritical, uninspired and unselected materials. Perhaps, editors should execute their editorial responsibilities more than they do now. (Although, in the process, editors might at the same time execute a good idea.) At least let the authors themselves exercise more restraint than they do now. The hope for a universal, scientific language has small chance of becoming a reality. A universal declaration of method and order may be equally difficult to achieve, but
if the scientist cries "help," he must start by helping himself. T h e r e will be no deus ex machina to deliver him from the ever-thickening plot! R. Hurtes, Miami, Florida. E F F E C T OF S P L E N I C CONTRACTION ON CHOROIDAL BLOOD VOLUME
I have just read an article (Jerome W . Bettman, Jr., The effect of splenic contraction on choroidal blood volume) in T H E JOURNAL (June, 1964) and feel constrained to comment. T h e research itself was deftly executed and maturely reported, but some basic assumptions were inaccurate. T h e author says "Contraction of the spleen may increase choroidal circulation of erythrocytes ( a n d ) . . . would thus increase the radioactive counting rate." However, increasing the R B C ' s in circulation by "six to 1 5 % " dilutes the tagged-cell concentration and therefore reduces the radioactivity count per unit blood volume. After all, only an aliquot of circulating cells was tagged—not all the cells in the spleen. Later in the article the author asserts that "the results suggest that drugs capable of causing both splenic contraction and peripheral vasoconstriction in cats cause a longer period of peripheral vasoconstriction than splenic contraction." The author has no firm basis for such an assertion. A n equally possible and a much more plausible explanation of the results can be found in the dilution factor cited above. Martin Lipp, Omaha, Nebraska.
*
*
*
D R . B E T T M A N ' S REPLY
Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology: T do not know how long it takes for an aliquot of labeled, undamaged erythrocytes to be picked up by the spleen of a cat, although I suspect that some rapidly enter
local school board or parent-teacher organization, can do something to help this situation. In surveying one's experiences with children who have specific reading disabilities, it appears that about 20 percent of all children have at least some reading difficulty. The incidence varies somewhat from area to area and country to country. It would seem that about two thirds of these are relatively mild and improve in the standard classroom through the use of the usual comprehensive teaching techniques if given enough time without emotional stress. Some look upon these children as having a degree of retardation in the development or maturation of the function of the angular gyrus. Not all cerebral functions mature at the same rate in all children. Thus, reading readiness in the first grade at school must be recognized and evaluated. Of the remaining one third, about two thirds will require, and improve through, the use of special remedial reading techniques, intensively applied, usually on an individual basis. The remainder represent a hard core, which tends to be resistant to even the most intensive care by presently known methods. It is possible that this group represents children with some organic brain damage. John V. V. Nicholls.
CORRESPONDENCE Nix
TO A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE
Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology: The quest for a universal language probably began when man first transcribed, with melancholy, I am sure, the story of the Tower of Babel. How often in times since have we damned those enterprising men in their desire to build a structure to discover God and the resulting chaos of linguistic differences ?
937
Kato (Am. J. Ophth., 59:722, 1965) suggests the use of Esperanto to deliver us from this chaos. Karger (Am. J. Ophth., 58:699, 1964) wishes to establish English as an international scientific language. I feel that a universal language is an ideal that can never become a reality. Of course it would be helpful if one could attend international meetings and be able to understand all of the papers presented. It would also be gratifying to read a scientific journal from any section of the world and not have to be content with abstracts of the article and/or the illustrations. But, what of the work involved in learning a new language ? Many find little difficulty in learning to read a language because the words are already "in storage" in books and lexicons, ready for the eye to see and the brain to recognize. But, when, in order to speak a language, the student tries to transfer these words from books into his own cerebral storehouse, ready to be used by his tongue at a moment's notice, that is the bridge over which so few cross. Centers for word memory and word formation are formed only after persistent study and endless repetition. The intelligent child requires approximately 15 years of precollege training to know his mother tongue, while the intelligent man, in his busy life, seems to require at least five years to half-master a new language. Do any of us have this kind of time—or endurance? The ability to acquire and retain a new language is a talent possessed by many, but very few, indeed, stimulated only by the international meeting, would keep up their imperfectly acquired language for the sake of the next meeting. The ability to think coherently and with facility in a foreign language takes years of consistent practice. An international language can never become a reality until its teaching becomes the goal of educational systems at the primary school level. Even then, can we be sure that this measure, taken by all countries and
938
CORRESPONDENCE
practised in all schools, will lead to rapport with all peoples? A language is not a synthetic compound put together with a formula. It grows out of a people's culture, develops and expands as much or as little as that culture allows, and acquires meanings and connotations which bear a relation to that culture only. Almost everyone who has had the experience of speaking to one of another nationality knows only too well that using the right words in the right order does not always create understanding. May I suggest that authors try, for the time being, simpler measures for improving the situation? Let them make their first small contribution to the universality of understanding by simplifying their own writings. That is : think, talk and write directly ! Must we have ideas involuted and convoluted in long, graphomanic sentences ; vocabularies that are bedecked and beflowered, thus concealing and obscuring the meanings of words piled crazily upon more words ? W h y should the scientific mind shun the simple statement of scientific fact? H o w much easier for the translator ! H o w much easier for the scientist-reader ! And, more important, let the scientist publish to add something valuable and important to the literature. Granted that the scientific explosion is overwhelming; is this endless stream of print unqualifiedly necessary? Indexers and abstractors gasp at the ever-accelerating flow and cannot help wondering if the best interests of the scientists are being served by this abundance of uncritical, uninspired and unselected materials. Perhaps, editors should execute their editorial responsibilities more than they do now. (Although, in the process, editors might at the same time execute a good idea.) At least let the authors themselves exercise more restraint than they do now. The hope for a universal, scientific language has small chance of becoming a reality. A universal declaration of method and order may be equally difficult to achieve, but
if the scientist cries "help," he must start by helping himself. T h e r e will be no deus ex machina to deliver him from the ever-thickening plot! R. Hurtes, Miami, Florida. E F F E C T OF S P L E N I C CONTRACTION ON CHOROIDAL BLOOD VOLUME
I have just read an article (Jerome W . Bettman, Jr., The effect of splenic contraction on choroidal blood volume) in T H E JOURNAL (June, 1964) and feel constrained to comment. T h e research itself was deftly executed and maturely reported, but some basic assumptions were inaccurate. T h e author says "Contraction of the spleen may increase choroidal circulation of erythrocytes ( a n d ) . . . would thus increase the radioactive counting rate." However, increasing the R B C ' s in circulation by "six to 1 5 % " dilutes the tagged-cell concentration and therefore reduces the radioactivity count per unit blood volume. After all, only an aliquot of circulating cells was tagged—not all the cells in the spleen. Later in the article the author asserts that "the results suggest that drugs capable of causing both splenic contraction and peripheral vasoconstriction in cats cause a longer period of peripheral vasoconstriction than splenic contraction." The author has no firm basis for such an assertion. A n equally possible and a much more plausible explanation of the results can be found in the dilution factor cited above. Martin Lipp, Omaha, Nebraska.
*
*
*
D R . B E T T M A N ' S REPLY
Editor, American Journal of Ophthalmology: T do not know how long it takes for an aliquot of labeled, undamaged erythrocytes to be picked up by the spleen of a cat, although I suspect that some rapidly enter