Charles Sidney Bluemel

Charles Sidney Bluemel (17 July 1884 – 17 December 1960) was a British–American psychiatrist and pioneer of speech pathology, best known for his research on stuttering. He had a stammer himself, which influenced his lifelong pursuit of understanding the speech disorder and discovering a cure.[1]

Charles Sidney Bluemel
Born17 July 1884
Died17 December 1960
Occupation(s)Psychiatrist, writer

Bluemel was born in London.[1] After graduating from boarding school in Margate, he spent a year in Germany before apprenticing at bicycle company Bluemel Brothers for three years.[1] He emigrated to the United States and studied at University of Colorado where he obtained his M.D. in 1916. He practiced psychiatry in Denver and was the owner of Mount Airy Sanitarium (1927–1953), a private psychiatric hospital.[1]

Bluemel was a major influence on the theories and therapies of stuttering.[2] His research from his career during 1913–1960 influenced stuttering theory. For example, he developed the theory of primary and secondary stuttering in 1913.[2] He also documented the historical treatment of the subject as far back as ancient Greece and Rome.[3]

Bluemel was editor of Colorado Medicine (1924–1925) and Denver Medical Bulletin (1920–1921).[1] He married Elinor Hensley in 1921, they had two children.[4]

He was a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, American Psychiatric Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[1] He was a Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of London and Royal College of Surgeons of England.[1]

Bluemel was an activist for vivisection. In 1922, he authored The Heart of the Anti-Vivisectionist which criticized arguments of the anti-vivisection movement. In 1940, he donated his library on stuttering to the University of Denver.[5] In 1960, Bluemel was awarded the Honors of the American Speech and Hearing Association.[1]

Selected publications

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Charles S. Bluemel". University of Minnesota, Mankato: College of Allied Health and Nursing. Archived from the original on 2021-06-03.
  2. ^ a b McDearmon, James R. (1963). "Bluemel's influence on stuttering theory". Quarterly Journal of Speech. 49 (3): 282–286. doi:10.1080/00335636309382616.
  3. ^ Johnson, Wendell (1957). "The Riddle of Stuttering". Pediatrics. 20 (6): 1118–1119. doi:10.1542/peds.20.6.1118a.
  4. ^ "Charles Sydney Bluemel 1884-1960". University at Buffalo. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  5. ^ Murray, Elwood (1957). "The C. S. Bluemel Collection On Stuttering". Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders. 22 (5): 761–763. doi:10.1044/jshd.2205.761. PMID 13492333.