Toilet Training

Dr. Myrtle Byram McGraw, 40, is a pretty, jolly woman upon whose slim shoulders rests the imposing title of Director of the Normal Child Development Study of the Department of Pediatrics of Columbia University. Four years ago she stopped teaching toddling moppets long enough to wed, contractually* for speed (TIME, Dec. 28, 1936), Research Engineer Rudolph Frederick Mallina. She now has an energetic 3 1/2-year-old daughter of her own, but still spends most of her time trying to find out what makes other people's infants tick.

Last week, before a meeting of the American Psychological Association in Atlantic City, Dr. McGraw aired her latest findings: Attempting to toilet-train two sets of male twins, she found that when very young, one member of each set reacted positively when put on the chamber, perhaps because of the stimulation of handling. But as they grew older they lost their response. Only in the last quarter of their first year, when they began to listen to the sound of water, play in the puddles they made, did the two. definitely recognize the purpose of the potty. After another lapse, performance became stabilized.

During all this time the other two boys had been left to shift for themselves. When they were old enough to grasp what was happening their training began. In a short time their performances not only equaled, but in one case even surpassed, those of their more tutored brothers.

Conclusion: until the right time arrives toilet training of infants is entirely futile.

* For a contract marriage all that is needed is the affixing of the signatures of the man and woman, before a judge of a court of record, to a legally worded statement of their intentions; it takes about 35 seconds to sign.

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