Edgar S. Werner

1850-1919

Edgar S. Werner directed a school for stutterers located at 59 Lancaster St. Albany, New York (see Wingate, ms, p 87, and Potter, 1882, p. 103). Werner, himself a stutterer, who was able to become fluent, saw his own and others' stuttering to be a problem with the vocal system.

He received therapies from many well known elocutionists of his day, as well as from those known as quacks. His first therapist was David F. Newton, a stutterer who had a school in New York City. Newton was the student of Andrew Comstock of Philadelphia. Werner stayed at Newton's school for three weeks. His speech improved, but regressed when he went home.

Werner also received instruction from Robert M. Zug, also a stutterer and from several elocutionists in Germany: Dreutzer in Rostock Germany and Klencke in Hanover.

His own stuttering therapies were eclectic. He used elocution methods he had learned about, and adapted them to the individual.

Werner was best known for a journal he edited called, among other things "Werner's The Voice." In its early years, the journal had many articles on stuttering, also called stammering at that time. The Voice included translations of the writings of speech/voice specialists in Europe: Kreutzer, (from Rostock, Germany), Gunther, Kussmaul, Albert Gutzmann (Berlin), and Rafael Coen (Vienna, Austria) Hermann Klencke (Hanover, Germany). Werner also included in his journal a number of exposes of practitioners whom he considered to be "quacks": (Dr. Moses, Dr. Rivenburgh, Professor Grady). Werner's journal was published from 1879 through 1902.

Werner's Writings, arranged chronologically

Articles published in the 1879 issues of his journal: The Voice

The difference between stuttering and stammering

Speech-sufferers misunderstood

Effect of the study of a foreign language upon stuttering

Medicine for stuttering

Swindling stutter-doctors, Vol 1 # 11, p. 126

Kreutzer's and Chervin's systems

The vocal apparatus

Stuttering-its cause, manifestations, effects, cure an early history. A paper read by Werner before the Albany Institute, Vol 1, 73-77 This article was widely distributed. Werner commented:

The paper read before the Albany Institute attracted wide attention, receiving favorable notices from papers as far off as New Zealand and Australia. Inasmuch as that and other numbers are out of print, we intend soon to publish a pamphlet containing our writings on stuttering. (Vol 5, p. 169)

Stuttering, as treated by Herr Kreutzer of Germany.

Articles published by Werner in the 1880 volume of his journal: The Voice

Swindling stutter doctors exposed (Vol 2, # 2)

Stuttering misunderstood (Vol 2, #3)

Is stuttering a visitation of providence? (Vol 2, #5)

What the music teacher's national association should aim to accomplish. (Vol 2 #6)

Articles published by Werner in 1881 volume of The Voice

Case of stuttering treated by the editor (p. 1-2). In this article, Werner describes the patient's condition, the treatment, the results, and his conclusions. He wrote that a cure for stuttering could not be effected in less than six months and that relaxation, good physical condition, and the absence of mental strain were keys to success. His approach involved exercising and remedial drill of different physical systems: respiratory, phonatory, and articulatory.

Later articles by Edgar S. Werner published in The Voice

Werner, E. (1889). Talks on stuttering. Werner's Voice Magazine, 11, #2, 24-25.

Werner, E, (1891). Stuttering and stammering. A historical glance at their treatment in America and a description of the workings of a contemporaneous institution. Werner's Voice Magazine Vol 13, #5, pp. 113-115.

Books by Werner

Werner, E. (1887). Werner's directory of elocutionists, readers, lecturers, nd other pubic instructors and entertainers. Edited by Elsie M. Willbor. NY: Author.

Writings about Edgar S. Werner

Lollich, LaNor Lois Lombard (1973). Theories of elocution in Werner's Magazine, 1879-1904. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. University of California at Los Angeles.

Merritt, Francine (1953). Werner's Magazine: Pioneer speech journal. Unpublished dissertation, Department of Speech, Louisiana State University.

Obituary Notes (January 25, 1919) The Publishers' Weekly, XCV, 251.