Psychiatrist

One of Buffalo's brightest boys, by the sworn word of his parents, was young Patrick Lepeiro, 11. One day Patrick was bumped by the automobile of Mrs. Edward J. Laube, wife of a well-to-do restaurateur. After that, according to the Lepeiros, Patrick fell behind in his studies. He was subject to head pains, fits of giggling. He played with younger children. Mr. & Mrs. Lepeiro took their dull son to Psychiatrist Hyman Levin of the Buffalo State Hospital. Dr. Levin gave him an intelligence test, flunked him, and last week went to court to help the Lepeiros collect $25,000 from the Laubes.

Up to Dr. Levin, on the witness stand, stepped the Laube lawyer. Was it true that Dr. Levin had asked Patrick, among other things, to tell the similarity between a snake, a cow and a sparrow? It was. What had Patrick answered? "None of them talk." What had the doctor given him for that answer? "Zero." And what would be the doctor's answer?

"Well, I might say that they were all living or that they were all animals," fumbled Dr. Levin.

"So a sparrow is an animal, is it, doctor?"

Another question, the lawyer discovered, had been, "When you are going to be tardy for school, what should you do?" Patrick's answer: "Think up an excuse."

"And doctor," asked the lawyer, "can you think up a better answer?"

The jury deliberated briefly, found Patrick to be by no means stupid, refused to give damages to his parents.

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