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VOICE ONE:
I’m Faith Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember with People in America in VOA SpecialEnglish. Today we tell about the world’s most famous doctor forchildren, Benjamin Spock.
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VOICE ONE:
Benjamin Spock’s first book caused a revolution in the wayAmerican children were raised. His book, “The Common Sense Book ofBaby and Child Care,” was published in nineteen forty-six. Morecopies of it have been sold in the United States than any other bookexcept the Christian Bible. The book gave advice to parents ofbabies and young children. The first lines of the book are famous.Doctor Spock wrote: “Trust yourself. You know more than you thinkyou do”.
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This message shocked many parents. For years, mothers had beentold that they should reject their natural feelings about theirbabies. Before Doctor Spock’s book appeared, the most popular guideto raising children was called “Psychological Care of Infant andChild.” The book’s writer, John B. Watson, urged extreme firmness indealing with children. The book called for a strong structure ofrules in families. It warned parents never to kiss, hug orphysically comfort their children.
VOICE ONE:
Doctor Spock’s book was very different. He gave gentle advice toease the fears of new parents. Doctor Spock said his work was aneffort to help parents trust their own natural abilities in caringfor their children. Doctor Spock based much of his advice on theresearch and findings of the famous Austrian psychoanalyst, SigmundFreud. Doctor Spock’s book discusses the mental and emotionaldevelopment of children. It urges parents to use that information todecide how to deal with their babies when they are crying, hungry,or tired.
For example, Doctor Spock dismissed the popular idea of exactlytimed feedings for babies. Baby care experts had believed thatbabies must be fed at the same times every day or they would grow upto be demanding children.
Doctor Spock said babies should be fed when they are hungry. Heargued that babies know better than anyone about when and how muchthey need to eat. He did not believe that feeding babies when theycry in hunger would make them more demanding. He also believed thatshowing love to babies by hugging and kissing them would make themhappier and more secure.
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“The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care” examined theemotional and physical growth of children. Doctor Spock said he didnot want to just tell a parent what to do. He said he tried toexplain what children generally are like at different times in theirdevelopment so parents would know what to expect.
Doctor Spock’s book did not receive much notice from the mediawhen it was published in nineteen forty- six. Yet, seven hundredfifty thousand copies of the book were sold during the year afterits release. Doctor Spock began receiving many letters of thanksfrom mothers around the country.
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Doctor Spock considered his mother, Mildred Spock, to be themajor influence on his personal and professional life. He said hisideas about how parents should act were first formed because of her.He reacted to the way in which his mother cared for him and hisbrother and sisters.
Doctor Spock described his mother as extremely controlling. Hesaid she believed all human action was the result of a physicalhealth issue or a moral one. She never considered her children’sactions were based on emotional needs.
Doctor Spock later argued against this way of thinking. Yet, hepraised his mother’s trust of her own knowledge of her children. Inhis book, “Spock on Spock,” he wrote about his mother’s ability tocorrectly identify her children’s sicknesses when the doctors werewrong.
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Benjamin Spock was born in nineteen-oh-three. He was the first ofsix children. The Spock family lived in New Haven, Connecticut. Hisfather was a successful lawyer. Benjamin was a quiet child. Heattended Phillips Academy, a private school in Andover,Massachusetts. Later he attended Yale University in New Haven. Hejoined a sports team at Yale that competed in rowing boats. Innineteen twenty-four, he and his team members competed in rowing atthe Olympic Games in Paris, France. They won the gold medal.
VOICE ONE:
Benjamin Spock worked at a camp for disabled children for threesummers during his years at Yale. He said the experience probablyled to his decision to enter medical school. He began at YaleMedical School, but he completed his medical degree at ColumbiaUniversity in New York City. He graduated as the best student in hisclass in nineteen twenty-nine.
Benjamin Spock had married Jane Cheney during his second year inmedical school. They later had two sons, Michael and John.
Doctor Spock began working as a pediatrician, treating babies andchildren in New York City in nineteen thirty-three. During the nextten years he tried to fit the theories about how children developwith what mothers told him about their children. In nineteenforty-three, a publisher asked him to write a book giving advice toparents. He finished the book by writing at night during his twoyears of service in the United States Navy.
Jane Spock helped her husbandproduce the first version of “Baby and Child Care.” She typed thebook from his notes and spoken words.
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During the nineteen fifties, Doctor Spock became famous. He wroteseveral other books. He wrote articles for a number of magazines. Heappeared on television programs. He taught at several universities.And he gave speeches around the country to talk to parents abouttheir concerns.
During this time, he discovered things he wanted to change in thebook. He wanted to make sure parents knew they should have controlover their children and expect cooperation from them. So, innineteen fifty-seven the second version of the book was published.He continued to make changes to “Baby and Child Care” throughout hislife. In all, there have been seven versions of the book.
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VOICE ONE:
In the nineteen sixties, Benjamin Spock began to be active inpolitics. He supported John F. Kennedy in his campaign forpresident. He joined a group opposed to the development of nuclearweapons.
Doctor Spock also took part in demonstrations to protest theVietnam War. In nineteen sixty-eight, he was found guilty ofplotting to aid men who were refusing to join the American armedforces.
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Doctor Spock appealed the ruling against him. Finally, it wascancelled. However, the legal battle cost Doctor Spock a lot ofmoney. The events damaged public opinion of the once very trustedchildren’s doctor. Fewer people bought his books. Some people saidDoctor Spock’s teachings were to blame for the way young people inthe nineteen sixties and seventies rebelled against the rules ofsociety. A leading American religious thinker of that time calledDoctor Spock “the father of permissiveness.”
In nineteen seventy-two, Doctor Spock decided to seek election aspresident of the United States. He was the candidate of the small”People’s Party.” He spoke out on issues concerning workingfamilies, children and minorities. Doctor Spock received aboutseventy-five thousand votes in the election that Richard Nixon won.
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Doctor Spock’s marriage had been suffering for some time. Foryears, Jane Spock drank too much alcohol and suffered fromdepression. She reportedly felt her husband valued his professionaland political interests more than he valued her. In nineteenseventy-five, Benjamin and Jane Spock ended their forty-eight-yearmarriage. One year later, Mary Morgan became his second wife.
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More than fifty million copies of Doctor Spock’s “Baby and ChildCare” book have been sold since it was published. It has beenpublished in thirty-nine languages. The current version includes thelatest medical developments. It also deals with social issues suchas working mothers, day care centers and single parents.
Benjamin Spock did not see the release of the last version of hisbook in May, nineteen ninety-eight. He died two months earlier atthe age of ninety-four. Yet his advice continues to affect the livesof millions of children and their parents.
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VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Caty Weaver. It was produced by JillMoss. I’m Faith Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another Peoplein America program in VOA Special English.