was born August 28,1880 at Dodge Center, which is located in the Rochester region of Minnesota, long notable for producing so many outstanding medical scientists and clinicians. He was the youngest of six children. His parents, of English lineage, were deeply interested in education, and gave their children many cultural opportunities, including foreign travel and study. His father, Dr.
Stephen IVilliam Ranson, had been a teacher for some years before entering on a medical career. The professional training of the father y a s strong in its influence on this family: three became physicians and one a Doctor of Philosophy in psychology.
After graduation from the secondary schools of Dodge Center, Stephen Walter Ranson entered the state university with the intent of becoming a psychologist. With characteristic acumen he saw the need of thorough grounding in the structure of the nervous system, and this desire brought hiin early under the influence of Prof. J. B. Johnston. It was a fortunate relationship. The young student admired Professor Johnston greatly and soon found his primary enthusiasm for psychology undergoing a substitution. Through the inspiration afforded by this teacher and investigator independent experiments were initiated by young Ranson in the summers following his sophomore and junior years; a usable laboratory was improvised in the family barn at Dodge Center. It