The Kaspar Hauser Syndrome of Psychosocial Dwarfism

Hauser was a physically stunted adult with the mind of a child, who was abandoned at the city gate of Nuremburg in 1828, after seventeen years of neglect and isolation in a dungeon. The notoriety of his case gave the impetus to many learned arguments regarding the significance of nature versus nurture. Money summarises the various incorrect theories that have been advanced since Hauser's time by paediatricians, psychologists, and psychiatrists. He underscores recent studies showing that deprivation drastically impairs the normal functioning of growth hormones, thus causing physical dwarfism, mental retardation, and defective social development. He shows how children from abusive environments can be effectively treated by a move to a new home and affectionate stimulation of the skin senses. Data collected on over thirty modern cases of the Kaspar Hauser syndrome are presented to support Money's arguments.