_Photographs taken at the close of the experiment._]
Dr. Anderson furnishes the following “Notes” descriptive of the methods
by which the strength tests were made:
“_Strength of Back._ The subject, standing upon the iron foot-rest with
the dynamometer so arranged that when grasping the handles with both
hands his body will be inclined forward at an angle of 60 degrees, should
take a full breath and, without bending the knees, give one hard lift,
mostly with the back.
“_Strength of Legs._ The subject while standing on the foot-rest with
body and head erect, and chest thrown forward, should sink down, by
bending the knees, until the handle grasped rests against the thighs,
then taking a full breath, he should lift hard principally with the legs,
using the hands to hold the handle in place.
“_Strength of Chest._ The subject with his elbows extended at the
sides until the forearms are on the same horizontal plane and holding
the dynamometer so that the dial will face outward and the indicator
point upward, should take a full breath and push vigorously against the
handles, allowing the back of the instrument to press on the chest.
“_Strength of Upper Arms, Triceps._ The subject, while holding the
position of rest upon the parallel bars, supporting his weight with arms
straight, should let the body down until the chin is level with the bars,
and then push it up again until the arms are fully extended. Note the
number of times that he can lift himself in this manner.
“_Strength of Upper Arms, Biceps._ The subject should grasp a horizontal
bar or pair of rings and hang with the feet clear from the floor while
the arms are extended. Note the number of times that he can haul his body
up until his chin touches the bar or ring.
“_Strength of Forearms._ The subject, while holding the dynamometer so
that the dial is turned inward, should squeeze the spring as hard as
possible, first with the right hand then with the left. The strength of
the muscles between the shoulders may be tested with the same instrument.
The subject, while holding the dynamometer on a level with the chest,
should grasp it with handles and pull both arms from the centre outward.
“_The total strength_ is ascertained by multiplying the weight by the
number of times it has been raised (push up and pull up), to this
product we add the strength of hands, legs, back, and chest. The result
is the total strength of the man. In some cases the product obtained by
multiplying the weight by push up and pull up is divided by ten to reduce
the size of the figures. We have not done so here.
“The run, vault, and ladder tests are not figured in. The lung capacity
is also omitted from the final figures.”
* * * * *
The following tables furnished by Dr. Anderson and Dr. Callahan give (1)
the _measurements_ of the eleven men who completed the experiment, taken
on October 12, 1903, and April 2, 1904. For comparison are also given
measurements of Yale College students, athletes, etc. (2) _Strength_ or
dynamometer tests, _i. e._, the first test taken in October and the final
test taken in April, 1904, together with Columbia University strength
tests for comparison. (3) A series of eleven tables giving for each man
the individual strength tests, two or three each month, taken during the
stay of the detachment in New Haven. Study of these individual results
is quite interesting, since it shows very strikingly the gradual gain
in strength of the men, and at the same time illustrates how temporary
conditions, bodily or mental, may influence a record of this character,
more noticeable in some individuals than in others. Mental stimulus, as
is well known, counts for much in the manifestation of muscular power,
but the neuro-muscular mechanism depends for its highest efficiency upon
the nutritive condition of the tissues as much as does the muscle tissue
alone. In the obtaining of a strength test, it is usually found that the
best results are recorded when there is competition among the men; _i.
e._, under the influence of an outside stimulus.