J. Roswell Gallagher

Rebellion in a household, while admittedly unpleasant to live with, disturbs DR. J. ROSWELL GALLAGHER less than too much dependence or excessive conformity. In the paper which follows he reaffirms his belief that adolescents need to develop their own personalities, their independence, and a regard for others’ rights. Dr. Gallagher is the author of Understanding Your Son’s Adolescence, a book which parents and teachers have found most helpful. He is now Chief of the new Adolescent Unit at the Children’s Medical Center in Boston, a pioneer venture into the toolong-neglected field of the care of the medical and emotional needs of this group.

A graduate of Yale College and Medical School, J. ROSWELL GALLAGHER has been specializing in the care and “doctoring” of boys since 1932. He has served as the School Physician at the Hill School and at Phillips Academy, Andover; as Consultant-in-Medicine at the Children’s Medical Center in Boston; and is today Head of the Health Department at Wesleyan College. His earlier articles in the Atlantic, “Can’t Spell, Read” (June, 1948) and “There Is No Average Boy” (March, 1949), and the paper which follows have been drawn from his new book, Understanding Your Son’s Adolescence, an Atlantic-Little, Brown publication.

Stupid and lazy are two adjectives which J. ROSWELL GALLAGHER does not like to see applied to the growing boy. As the school doctor at Phillips Academy in Andover for the past sixteen years, he knows by experience that there are a good many not-so-visible reasons which explain scholastic failure. Some of these he has defined in his earlier Allantic articles — “Can’t Spell, Cant Read” (June, 1948) and “ There Is No Average Boy” (March, 1949). Now, in this new paper, he pleads for an understanding of a boy’s personality and implies his strong belief in the individual — a point of view Tom Paine would find perfectly proper.

Sam at fourteen stood 5 feet 10 and Sam’s father was worried. “Do you think he’s grown too fast? Do you think he’s all right physically— is he normal?" The answer comes from J. ROSWELL GALLAGHER, who took his M.D. from Yale and who, after his internship, began to devote himself to the study of adolescents. Since 1934 he has been the school doctor at Phillips Academy. Andover. Readers will remember his article “Can’t Spell, Can’t Read,”in the Atlantic for June,1948.

“Language disability” says DR. J. ROSWELL GALLAGHER, rhandicaps one boy in ten and is a common cause of failure in school” Dr. Gallagher received his A. B. from Yale University in 1925 and his M.D. in 1930. After serving his internships he became interested in adolescents, including “left readers” with their specific language disabilities. Since 1934 he has been the school doctor at Phillips Academy, Andover; there his three assistants have succeeded in bringing up to the mark many boys who, bright in other subjects, were behind in their use of language.