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BOOKS
BY
ANNA M. GALBRAITH, M.D.
Four Epochs of Woman’s Life
12mo of 260 pages.
_3d Edition, Ready Soon_
Personal Hygiene and Physical Training for Women
12mo of 393 pages, illustrated
_2d Edition_
PERSONAL HYGIENE
_AND_
PHYSICAL TRAINING
FOR WOMEN
BY
ANNA M. GALBRAITH, M.D.
Author of “Hygiene and Physical Culture for Women” and “The Four
Epochs of Woman’s Life;” Member of the New York County and State and
the American Medical Associations; Fellow of the New York Academy of
Medicine; Ex-President of the Alumnæ Association, Woman’s Medical
College of Pennsylvania; former Attending Physician, Neurological
Department, of the New York Orthopædic Hospital and Dispensary; late
Attending Physician and Instructor in Diagnosis and Clinical Medicine
at the Woman’s Medical College, New York Infirmary
_SECOND EDITION, THOROUGHLY REVISED_
PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON
W. B. SAUNDERS COMPANY
1916
Copyright, 1911, by W. B. Saunders Company. Reprinted
April 1913, and October, 1915. Revised,
reprinted, and recopyrighted
November, 1916
Copyright, 1916, by W. B. Saunders Company
PRINTED IN AMERICA
PRESS OF
W. B. SAUNDERS COMPANY
PHILADELPHIA
In Loving Memory
of
HELEN WORTHING WEBSTER, M. D.
Professor of Physiology and Hygiene and Resident Physician at Vassar
College from 1874 to 1881
An untiring worker of charming and inspiring personality,
the living embodiment of all that was womanly,
great hearted, and noble.
This book is affectionately dedicated as a slight tribute of
the esteem in which she was held, and in grateful acknowledgment
of the value of her teachings
By her former pupil
THE AUTHOR
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
Since the writing of this book six years ago the entire subject of
digestion has been revised by scientific research, and thanks to the
same scientists the nutritive value of the various food-stuffs has
been ascertained. The importance of this knowledge is so great that
educators are now making an endeavor to have the nutritive value of
artificial and canned goods placed on their labels; and the New York
Board of Health has requested a large Chain of Restaurants to have
the nutritive value of foods printed, beside the cost of the various
articles, on their bill of fare.
Hence the entire chapter on Digestion and Nutrition has been
rewritten. In Chapter I has been given the result of original
statistical studies, showing the urgent need for every woman to know
and put into practice the principles of personal hygiene.
Dancing has become such a popular form of exercise that a description
of the plates giving the dancing steps has been added, together with
some simple dancing exercises. For these excellent descriptions
the author is indebted to Miss Barbara Blankenhorn, a widely known
teacher of music and dancing of Englewood, New Jersey.
The reason that such a comparatively short space was given in this
work to “pelvic physiology and hygiene” was that this subject had
been treated in extenso, in “The Four Epochs of Woman’s Life.”
ANNA M. GALBRAITH.
NEW YORK CITY,
_November, 1916_.
PREFACE
The aim of this work has been to present in a clear and concise
manner the fundamental physiological laws on which all personal
hygiene is based; together with the practical, detailed directions
for the proper development of the body and the training of the
physical powers to their highest degree of efficiency by means of
fresh air, tonic baths, proper food and clothing, gymnastic and
outdoor exercise, so that the tissues will be placed in the best
possible condition to resist disease.
The spirit of the times demands nothing less than the most perfect
development of body and mind of which youth is capable, and
maintaining the highest degree of efficiency of the adult worker for
the longest possible term of years. The _fiat_ has gone forth from
the American Medical Association for the scientific education of the
public in the laws of hygiene and sanitation. And the great civic
movement inaugurated by that same Association and the Committee of
One Hundred on National Health for the establishment of a National
Department of Public Health, promises to be crowned with success in
the near future. And so it has been deemed superfluous to expound at
length what preventive medicine has already accomplished in the short
space of fifty years by the eradication of terrible epidemics and
many diseases, and what a general knowledge of applied hygiene might
reasonably be expected to accomplish in the near future.
It gives the author great pleasure to have this opportunity of
expressing her deep indebtedness to Miss Ruth Blankenhorn, Vassar
College, A. B., 1909, of Englewood, N. J., a most artistic and
graceful dancer who posed for all the illustrations; and to Miss
Harriet I. Ballintine, the able director of the Vassar College
Gymnasium, who arranged the poses for the very excellent plates
illustrating the free exercises and classic dances. Also to the
Vassar College Athletic Association for 1908-09 for the especially
arranged dances and field sports which they were so extremely kind as
to demonstrate for her benefit.
ANNA M. GALBRAITH.
NEW YORK CITY.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
PAGE
THE WISDOM OF PHYSICAL EFFICIENCY 11
Physical Efficiency as an Exact Science; Marks for Physical
Efficiency; Statistical Study of the Physical Examinations
of 160 Young Women; the Physical Status of the
Women of To-day; the Reflex Action of the Various Impairments
of the Entire Organism.
CHAPTER II
HYDROTHERAPY 23
Description of the Skin; Functions of the Skin; the Physiologic
Effects of Water, Hot and Cold; the Chief Varieties
of Baths; Ablutions; the Tub Bath; the Alcohol Rub; the
Cold Dip; Alkaline and Saline Baths; the Rain Douche or
Shower Bath; the Hot Foot-bath; the Sitz Bath; Salt Ablution;
the Turkish Bath; the Electric-light Bath; Indications
for the Use of Turkish Bath, and Contraindications;
the Douche; Rationale of the Douche; Contraindications.
The Internal Use of Water; Its Action on the Heart and
Blood, on the Digestion; Therapeutic Indications for the
Use of Water; Contraindications for Drinking Cold Water.
Enemas; Vaginal Douche; Douching the Ear.
CHAPTER III
THE CARE OF THE SKIN AND ITS APPENDAGES 57
The Complexion; the Action of the Bath in Health; the
Proper Time to Bathe; the Care of Wash-cloths; Cleansing
the Face; Protection of the Face; the Use of So-called Cosmetics
for the Face; Facial Blemishes, Freckles, Liver Spots,
Sallow Complexion, Pimples; Acne, Eczema, Wrinkles and
Their Treatment; the Relation of Diseases of the Skin to
Internal Disorders.
The Hair; Dandruff; Causes and Treatment of Premature
Thinness of the Hair and Baldness; the Care of the Hair;
Gray Hair.
The Cosmetic Care and Treatment of the Hands; Cosmetic
of the Nails; the Care of the Feet; Painful Affections
of the Feet.
CHAPTER IV
THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: GENERAL PRINCIPLES IN HUMAN
NUTRITION AND DIETETICS 80
The Digestive Tract; Care of the Mouth and Teeth;
Controlling Factors of Digestion; Psychic Aspect of Digestion;
Importance of Mechanical Factors; Chemical Changes
of Food in the Stomach; Intestinal Digestion; Metabolism;
Constipation and Its Treatment.
The Amount of Food Required; the Classification of
Foods; Standard Dietaries; Maintenance Diet; Relations
of Diet to Various Conditions of Life; Practical Facts for
Guidance; Dietary in the Tropics; Food Economics; Table
of Food Values.
The Physiologic Action of Moderate Doses of Alcohol;
the Effect of Alcohol on the Muscular System; the Effect of
Alcohol on the Nervous System.
CHAPTER V
THE RESPIRATORY AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEMS: THE KIDNEYS 137
The Mechanics of Circulation and Respiration; the Circulatory
Apparatus; the Lungs; Hygiene of the Lungs
and Its Relation to the General Health; Relation of Respiration
to Body Heat; the Respiratory Functions of the
Abdominal Muscles; the Importance of Good Chest Development,
Proper Relation Between the Height, Weight, and
Chest Measurements; Chemical Properties of Air; Town
and Country Air; Dust and Its Relations to Disease; Rôle
Played by Bacteria; Ventilation; the Injurious Effects of
Overheated Air; the Proper Degree of Moisture for the
Air of the House; Ventilation of Bed-rooms.
Care of the Nose, Throat, and Ears; Impediments to
Respiration; Ventilation of the Lungs and Breathing Exercises;
Cure of Chronic Bronchitis by Deep Breathing Exercises;
Relation of Colds to Pneumonia and Tuberculosis,
and Their Prevention.
The Kidneys and Their Functions; the Physiology of
the Female Pelvic Organs.
CHAPTER VI
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AS THE BALANCE OF POWER IN THE
BODY 184
The Brain the Master Organ of the Body; the Functions
of the Brain; Habit and Automatism; the Physiology of the
Brain and Nervous System; the Hygiene of Work; the Toxins
of Fatigue; Overwork; Signs of Overwork; Nature’s Restoratives;
Avocation; the Physiologic Necessity for Laughter;
Vacations and Health; Sleep; Insomnia.
The Eyes; Eye-strain; Description of the Visual Apparatus;
Optical Defects and Their Correction; the Mechanism
of Eye-strain; Local Symptoms of Eye-strain; Artificial
Lighting; Hygienic Precautions in Reading and Sewing;
Injuries to the Eyes; Symptoms and Treatment of
Conjunctivitis; Trachoma; Styes.
Functional Nervous Disorders; Headache; Neurasthenia.
CHAPTER VII
THE HYGIENE OF THE MIND AND ITS RELATION TO THE PHYSICAL
HEALTH 224
Heredity; Temperament; Social Instincts; Fear.
Mental Development; Self-control, the Moral Sense, the
Religious Instincts; the Advantages of College Life; Balance
of the Mental Faculties; the Effects of the Higher Education
of Women.
The Environment; the Choice of Friends; Literature.
The Power of the Will or Inhibition; the Effect of the
Mental Attitude on the Physical Health; A Definite Occupation
a Physical Necessity; the Psychology of Success.
CHAPTER VIII
DRESS THE FUNDAMENTAL CAUSE OF WOMAN’S PHYSICAL
DETERIORATION 252
The History of Woman’s Dress; the Corset in History;
the Crusade Against the Corset; the Influence of the Corset
on the Female Body; the Curved Front Corset; the Relation
of Corsets to Abdominal and Pelvic Disorders; the Effects
of Corsets on the Muscles; the Straight Front Corset; the
Abdominal Corset; the Wearing of Corsets by Young Girls;
What Style of Corset is the Least Injurious; the Shoe; the
Stockings; the Essential Qualities for Winter Underclothing;
the Length of the Walking Skirt; the Winter Street Dress.
CHAPTER IX
PHYSICAL TRAINING THE KEY TO HEALTH AND BEAUTY 283
The Ancient Greeks the Most Perfect Type of Beauty;
the Cause of the Inferior Physique of American Women; the
Physical Training of the Japanese Women; Improved
Physique as the Result of Physical Training; Increasing
Stature and Improved Physique of American Men; Report
of the Royal Commission of Great Britain on Physical
Training; Physical Training Among the Ancients; the
Influence of Physical Training on the Health and Life of
the Individual; the Effect of Exercise on Brain Development
and Character; the Physiology and Pathology of
Exercise; the Relative Proportions of a Perfect Female
Form; Table of Standard Weights for Women; the Muscular
System; the Benefits of Exercise; Passive Exercise; Massage;
the Balance and Carriage of the Body; Common
Defects in the Carriage of the Body; the Heart’s Need of
Exercise; the Gymnasium in the Campaign Against Disease;
Gymnastic versus Athletic Training; Exercise After
Eating; Effect of Brain Fatigue on Body Fatigue, and
vice versa; Marks for Physical Efficiency; Advantages
Derived from Athletic Sports; Ethical Value of Sports for
Women; Forms of Athletic Games Best Suited to Women.
CHAPTER X
SYMMETRIC DEVELOPMENT: GOOD CARRIAGE AND GRACE OF
MOTION THROUGH GYMNASTICS AND ATHLETICS 323
Gymnasiums, Baths, and Athletic Associations: A Fundamental
Part of a Woman’s College and a Model Woman’s
Club; the Vassar College Gymnasium; the Standardized
Percentage Table for Physical Efficiency; Special Medical
Blank for Women; Self-made Good Physique through
Physical Training; Rules for Taking Exercise; Gymnastic
Dress; the Configuration of the Foot; Correct Attitude in
Standing.
Corrective Exercises: Exercises for Developing the
Various Regions of the Body; Shoulder-blade Exercises;
Respiratory Exercises; Exercise for Forward Projection of
Chest and Retraction of Abdomen; Shoulder and Back
Exercises; Leg Exercises; Squatting Exercises for Muscles
of Spine and Abdomen; Alternate Kneeling; Abdominal
Exercises; Balancing Exercises for Poise and Carriage;
Balancing Exercises for Extending Depth of Chest; Lateral
Trunk and Waist Exercises; Exercises for Muscles of
Back; Exercises for Muscles of Abdomen; Swimming Exercises
for Back, Thighs, and Abdomen; Rope-pulling Exercises
for Back, Chest, Waist, Legs, and Arms; Exercises in
Trunk Flexions for Back, Abdomen, and Legs; Exercises
with Chest Weights for Chest, Shoulders, and Arms; Boxing
and Fencing; Classic and Æsthetic Dancing an Essential
Feature in Physical Training; Figures of the Dance with
Some Simple Exercises.
Outdoor Exercises: Effect of Walking on the Heart and
Lungs; Running; Mountain Climbing; Swimming; Horseback
Riding as an Exercise; Rowing.
Athletic Sports: Croquet; Lawn-tennis; Golf; Hockey;
Basket-ball.
INDEX 375
PERSONAL HYGIENE
AND
PHYSICAL TRAINING FOR WOMEN
CHAPTER I
THE WISDOM OF PHYSICAL EFFICIENCY
Physical Efficiency as an Exact Science; Marks for Physical
Efficiency; Statistical Study of the Physical Examinations of 160
Young Women; the Physical Status of the Women of To-day; the Reflex
Action of the Various Impairments of the Entire Organism.
“Circumstances,” said Napoleon, “I make circumstances.”
Physical efficiency stands for initiative, endurance, success; it is
the very keynote of modern life and has become one of the burning
questions of the day. West Point and Annapolis have always recognized
this, and in order that their graduates should measure up to the
highest standard of efficiency a most rigid physical examination
was and is demanded as a prerequisite for admission; and during the
whole of the four years’ course physical training is systematically
carried on so as to insure the most perfect physique possible, with
the result that in addition to their great powers of endurance and
initiative, is their distinguished carriage and elegance of bearing.
To increase the safety of their passengers the railroad companies
were the next to demand these same physical examinations to determine
the efficiency of their applicants and employees. Other large
corporations followed.
So long as _women_ remained in the home, or were willing and content
to accept any small wage that was doled out to them, the public did
not seem especially interested in their physical condition. But when
women, as a large teaching body or in any other public service, began
to demand equal pay for equal work, the situation was materially
altered, and in 1914 the English Royal Commission summed up the
following conclusions: “Where the character and conditions of work
performed by women approach those of the work of men, the pay of
the women should approximate that of the men, but in so far as the
_efficiency_ of men is higher, the salaries of men should remain
higher.” This at once changed the complexion of the matter, and
physical efficiency for women became a matter of paramount and equal
importance to both employer and employee.
Again, from the standpoint of social science, the physical efficiency
of women is demanded because they are the mothers of the race,
and on them, equally with the fathers, does the welfare of future
generations depend, since it is believed that a child inherits
equally from its parents—one-fourth from father and mother each,
one-fourth from its grandparents, etc. The states are beginning to
seriously take up the framing of laws for eugenic marriages, based on
fixed standards of physical efficiency of the contracting parties.
And the day is not far distant when women as well as men will have
to undergo physical examinations to secure or hold any positions of
importance.
Then, too, one of the results of the present terrible European war
has been to demonstrate that women possess a large amount of latent
powers and endurance which only needed for their development the same
general physical training that the state gives her sons. Women are
now being employed in these countries in all branches of the civil
service, as well as in agriculture and the making of munitions,
engaging in a vast number of employments and trades hitherto
considered unfit for women, because of the great physical strength
and endurance which they demanded.
=Physical Efficiency as an Exact Science.=—Physical efficiency is
growing to be an exact science; it is demonstrable in figures. We
have standardized percentage tables for measuring the capacity of the
lungs, the strength of the heart and muscles, and, added to these,
must be a normal condition of the digestion, kidneys, generative
organs, sight, and hearing. If the sum total of these amounted to
100 per cent., that would mean capacity for the greatest possible
endurance under strain, and so the most effective worker; for there
is a direct relation between the percentage standard of physical
efficiency and the output of work, both as to quantity and quality.
_Marks for Physical Efficiency._—Sir Francis Galton, the great
English scientist, was the first to conceive the idea of assigning
marks for physical qualifications. They were as follows: Breathing
capacity, strength tests, both to be regarded with reference to the
height and weight; quickness of response to a signal, made either to
the eye or ear; the sense of sight and hearing, and the color sense.
Realizing the usefulness of these tests in measuring the physical
efficiency, Professor Sargent included them in the physical
examinations of the Harvard students. The strength tests consist of
that for each forearm, of the back and legs, the dip, the pull-up,
and the lung capacity. The combination of these seven tests is what
is known as the intercollegiate strength test, and is the best means
as yet devised for measuring the general muscular strength and the
respiratory power.
It is obvious that many of these tests would be needed only by men
going into the army or navy, or qualifying for civil engineers or
professional athletes, etc. So it was considered best to modify these
tests to meet the requirements of physical efficiency for women.
For the large number of measurements of the arms, legs, etc.,
included in the Sargent system have been substituted the rating of
the condition of the heart and circulatory system, including the
blood-pressure; lung and chest development; digestive and nervous
system; the kidneys and generative organs; the muscular system;
tests of endurance; ocular and aural tests; with a final impression
of the working efficiency.
This standardized percentage table for physical efficiency of
women was worked out and the ratings made with the able assistance
of Dr. David Bovaird, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine,
Columbia University, and Dr. George A. Meylan, Associate Professor
of Physical Education, Columbia University; and it has seemed to us
that this combination of tests is of greater practical value, since
the maintenance of physical efficiency depends upon the integrity of
all of the organs of the body. These ratings were made to cover the
Special Medical Blank for Women,[1] gotten up for the examination of
the women candidates of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions.
For many years the various Boards of Foreign Missions, which are the
great church corporations, have required that candidates for this
work should pass a physical examination similar to that demanded by
the life insurance companies, and so similar blanks were sent out to
be filled by the local examining physicians; but because of the many
breakdowns of the women on the field, and the great detriment to the
work and the expense thus entailed, four years ago the Presbyterian
Board of Foreign Missions decided to have all of their women
candidates re-examined in New York by a woman physician especially
appointed by them for this purpose.
The results of these examinations have been most illuminating as to
the physical condition of women who call themselves well, to say
nothing of what the medical profession in general seem to consider as
standards of good health in women who will be obliged to do very hard
work under most trying climatic conditions, which all Life Insurance
Companies rate as extrahazardous.
The composite picture thus obtained by the statistical study of the
physical examinations of these 160 young women is of great value,
not only because it is the first of the kind made for the first
decade after leaving college; but also because it is very fairly
representative of the average physical condition of the great masses
of women who are engaged in teaching, social service, secretarial
work, etc.; and, further, it demonstrates the striking difference in
physique of women who call themselves well, and that of the normal
standard of physical efficiency to which most of these women could
have attained by proper physical education.
=Statistical Study of the Physical Examinations of 160
Candidates.=—This study is made from the records of four successive
classes of young women coming from all over the United States, city
and country, including college and non-college graduates, whose
occupations were physicians, teachers, students, nurses, social
workers, housewives, etc. All had passed a preliminary physical
examination. The average age was twenty-eight years, when woman
should be physically at her best.
_I. Acute Diseases Since Childhood and Number of Days Lost Through
Illness. For Classes of 1913 and 1914 Only, Consisting of 100
Women._[2]
History negative—_i. e._, no history was given of any
acute illness after the children’s diseases 30 per cent.
Acute illnesses, including operations 70 ” ”
Previous year’s record:
Lost no days from illness 42 ” ”
Operations performed, followed by complete cure 27 ” ”
Marked loss of weight 23 ” ”
Total loss of time from illness, including
postoperative treatment, would equal entire
time of one woman for 8½ months.
Of the acute illnesses, the following are of the greatest interest
because now preventable: Typhoid fever, 12 per cent.; malaria, 6 per
cent.; tonsillitis, 6 per cent.
Of the causes for operations, appendicitis leads with 13 per cent.;
of these, 9 per cent. were simply for the removal of the appendix; 2
per cent. for the removal of the appendix and diseased right ovary;
and 2 per cent. for the removal of the appendix and ovarian cyst. The
recovery was not only complete from the operation, but the general
health was greatly improved in every respect.
Of the cases of tonsillitis, 4 per cent. were operated on not only
with complete recovery, but also with the cure of rheumatism from
which these women had previously suffered.
_II. Heart and Circulatory System._
Examination of heart negative, with absence of murmurs 97.5 per cent.
Action of heart weak 54.0 ” ”
Pulse weak and rapid 50.0 ” ”
Subnormal blood-pressure 63.0 ” ”
Anemia present 55.0 ” ”
Normal condition of veins 95.0 ” ”
Subnormal temperature 40.0 ” ”
Class average 7.5 ” ”
_III. Lungs and Chest Development._
Examination of lungs negative, with normal frequency
and character of respiration 97.0 per cent.
Subnormal chest girth in relation to height and weight,
of 5¼ inches 87.0 ” ”
Subnormal chest expansion of 1 inch 82.0 ” ”
Subnormal lung capacity, measured by spirometer, 45
cubic inches 75.0 ” ”
Unhealthy condition of nose and throat (postnasal
catarrh or enlarged tonsils) 20.0 ” ”
Class average 7.5 ” ”
_IV. The Digestive System._
Gastro-intestinal indigestion was present in 35.0 per cent.
Hepatic congestion with tendency to bilious attacks 20.0 ” ”
Constipation 33.0 ” ”
Catarrhal appendicitis (operation at once advised) 4.0 ” ”
Class average 8.5 ” ”
_V. The Kidneys._
Urinalysis negative in 96.0 per cent.
Slight traces of albumin (with hyaline casts in 2 per
cent.) 4.0 ” ”
Floating kidney 0.8 ” ”
Class average 9.6 ” ”
_VI. The Generative Organs and Menstrual Function._
Pelvic organs normal 33.0 per cent.
History, menstrual periods normal 38.5 ” ”
Displacements and inflammation, uterus 67.0 ” ”
Accompanied by falling and inflammation of ovaries in 12.0 ” ”
Hemorrhoids 3.0 ” ”
Fibroid tumors 1.5 ” ”
Dermoid cyst 75 ” ”
Operations advised for retroflexed uterus and curetage 1.5 ” ”
Dilatation and curetage 1.5 ” ”
Class average 7.5 ” ”
_VII. The Nervous System._
Subject to headache 33.0 per cent.
Tendency to nervous exhaustion 11.0 ” ”
Hysteric 3.0 ” ”
Insomnia 7.0 ” ”
Mental poise good 75.0 ” ”
Class average 8.5 ” ”
_VIII. The Muscular System._
The average height 5 ft. 3½ in.
Normal weight 126 pounds.
Normal relation of weight to height and age 33.0 per cent.
Averaged 17 pounds underweight 47.0 ” ”
Posture good in sitting and standing 33.0 ” ”
Posture bad, round shoulders, stooped position,
muscles flabby 67.0 ” ”
Strength tests taken only for class of 1915 (30 women):
Highest 802 points.
Lowest 338 ”
Class average 570 ”
Class average estimated 7.2 per cent.
_IX. Tests of Endurance._
Took systematic daily exercise, walking 3 miles 25 per cent.
Took some exercise daily, 1 mile or under 50 ” ”
Took absolutely no systematic daily exercise 25 ” ”
Outdoor sports known, but not practised 10 ” ”
Test walk of 3 miles not given.
Heart reaction after exercise, hopping 100 feet, not given.[3]
_X. General Impression of Working Efficiency._
Class average 8.2 per cent.
_General Summary._
20 per cent. averaged from 67 to 75 per cent.
25 ” ” ” ” 75 to 80 ” ”
50 ” ” ” ” 80 to 85 ” ”
5 ” ” ” ” 90 to 95 ” ”
Class average estimated, 80 per cent.
_Ocular Tests_
Where the vision was normal, or had been corrected by glasses, this
was rated as normal; because of the occupations of these women it
was practically so.
The most striking points of weakness in the entire class were the
bad postures in sitting and standing, consisting of round shoulders,
a stooped position, and flabby muscles, 67 per cent.; a deficiency
of one-seventh of the normal chest and lung development, accompanied
by a deficiency of one-third of the normal chest expansion, 85
per cent.; weak hearts with weak and rapid pulse, subnormal
blood-pressure, and anemia in over 50 per cent.; over 66 per cent.
had some form of pelvic trouble which was acting to undermine the
whole system.
Aside from tuberculosis, life insurance companies reject applicants
who fall more than 20 per cent. below the normal standard of weight,
and because of this 16 per cent. would have been rejected. The cause
of this great loss of weight was due to malnutrition and overwork,
and had it seemed practicable to adhere to Professor Meylan’s wise
advice that anyone who fell below 7.5 per cent. in any one series of
tests, or below 75 per cent. in the general average, 20 per cent. of
the entire class would have been turned down.
It must be taken into consideration that these examinations were made
during the first week of June, at the end of a hard year’s work; but,
making due allowance for this, the results of these examinations
have revealed such a subnormal condition of the vital organs of
the body as to be appalling even to those of us who have long been
familiar with these subjects. In addition to this was the fact that
many unsuspected ailments needing immediate attention by physicians
or surgeons were discovered in a class of women who considered
themselves well.
=The Physical Status of the Women of To-day.=—The strong presumption
that the above statistics are very fairly representative for the
average woman of to-day is strongly borne out by data furnished by
the absence on account of illness of the teachers of New York, and
by corresponding statistics recently published by the Life Extension
Institute of New York City.
Statistics compiled during the year 1913-14 showed that more than 20
per cent. of the teachers of the New York public schools were absent
at some time on account of illness, and that these absentees averaged
16½ school days. The data obtainable showed four prevalent ailments:
diseases of the respiratory organs, 35 per cent.; acute contagious
diseases, 16 per cent.; nervous diseases, 15 per cent.; and digestive
disorders, 11 per cent. And on the health of the teachers ultimately
depends the efficiency of the entire educational system of the
country.
The Life Extension Institute of New York, in its tabulation of 2000
examinations of young men and women clerks between the ages of thirty
and thirty-five years, showed _only_ 3 per cent. normal, _i. e._,
free from bodily impairments and from habits of life which were
leading to such impairments; and showed 59 per cent. sufficiently
impaired to justify their recommendation to the definite care of
their family physician. “These statistics were compiled at an age
when the human being is supposed to be at the very prime of life. The
results prove that the majority of young men and young women in New
York City begin to die as soon as they are grown up. Deaths due to
degenerative diseases have increased 86 per cent. in the past thirty
years; this means an increased death-rate whereby between 100,000 and
200,000 lives are lost every year.”
=The Reflex Action of Some of These Various Impairments on the Entire
Organism.=—In the normal erect position of the body the trunk is
given its greatest length, the head is held erect, the shoulders
thrown back flat against the ribs, the chest is high, and the
abdomen flat. (See Plate III, Senegalese woman.)
In the bad postures noted in 67 per cent. of the entire class, of
round shoulders with a stooped position and flabby muscles, we note
four distinct and prominent factors in the breaking down of the human
organism:
_I. The Effect on the Chest and Lung Development and on the Action
of the Heart._—In this malposition the upper part of the body is
inclined forward, with the result that the chest is flattened to
the extent of 1 inch. The restriction which this must mean to the
expansion of the lungs is evident; and when it is realized that in
the erect position the heart occupies the space between the breast
bone and the spine, with practically no space to spare, the resulting
interference with the heart’s action is evident.
It is a very serious matter when we have superadded to a deficient
chest development a deficient chest expansion. For these are the
very women in whom because of their general run-down condition and
undeveloped muscles the breathing is very superficial; the apices
of the lungs, the favorite site of tuberculosis, and the deeper
portions are seldom expanded; and not only does the body suffer from
a deficient oxygen supply, but there is an equally defective suction
power on the part of the heart, which means a poor circulation and a
lowered general nutrition of the whole body.
The main function in metabolism is oxidation, and scarcely a step in
the series of chemical changes proceeding within the body is possible
in the absence of an abundant supply of oxygen, constantly renewed.
Living in close rooms lowers the vitality to an extent little dreamed
of by most persons.
_II. The Effect on the Abdominal Viscera._—In the normal erect
position the abdominal muscles remain taut and afford proper support
and pressure to the abdominal viscera and the great splanchnic
circulation of large blood-vessels; whereas in the stooped position
the muscles of the abdomen, not being properly used, become weakened
and sag forward, causing the downward displacement of all of the
abdominal viscera, with consequent disturbance of their circulation
and function. Many cases of indigestion, congestion of the liver, and
constipation can be explained in this way.
_III. The Effect on the Circulation of the Spinal Cord._—The
circulation of the spinal cord is very largely dependent on the tone
of the muscles of the spine; hence the weakness of these muscles
interferes with its circulation. In the spinal cord are large
nerve-centers which have to do with the control of the arms and
legs as well as of the organs of the trunk, so that anything which
lowers the tone of these centers depresses the vitality of the organs
supplied by them; and this is believed to be the cause of many cases
of so-called nervous indigestion.
_IV. The Waste of Energy which Results from Faulty Posture._—Weak
foot, in its final stage flat-foot, is more common in women than in
men because it is not purely a local condition in the arch of the
foot, but primarily due to a weakened condition of the leg muscles
that support the arch. Weak feet are gradually converted into
flat-feet by faulty standing and walking and lack of leg exercises.
Many cases of nervous prostration are to be traced not merely to
overwork or worry, but to the waste of energy which results from
the faulty posture of the body and with the interference of the
circulation in the spinal cord, and the consequent weakness of the
nerve power which results. In other words, it is not the load which
breaks the bearer down, but the way in which the load is carried.
Good chest and lung development, a strong heart, well-developed and
firm muscles are the tripod on which rests physical endurance and
resistance to disease. And this was just where the entire class was
found to be gravely subnormal.
Physical training consists primarily of heart training; in increasing
the breathing capacity; in strengthening and developing the heart
and other muscles of the body. As the muscles become stronger the
body is held more erect, and this favors, as we have seen, all of its
functions.
And it is not generally understood how great is the effect of
physical training on the brain and mental activities. With a strong
and vigorous action of the heart there is a feeling of courage and
general exaltation; whereas with a weak heart and feeble circulation
fear and impaired mental activity predominate.
The charge is constantly laid at the door of women that they seldom
rise above the mediocre, and have never been leaders in the world of
art, literature, the drama, science, or the learned professions; that
it is men who have invented devices for the home!
According to statistics, of the 25,000,000 wage earners in the United
States, 8,000,000 are women, of whom 1,250,000 are over forty-five
years of age and 637,000 under fifteen years of age. From an economic
point of view, anything which will raise the working efficiency of
one-third of our producing population, whose average wage is now the
paltry sum of $6 per week, must be welcomed, because it not only
prevents loss of time from work, but also the cost of illness. The
study of the above statistics demonstrates the fact that the physical
efficiency of women can easily be doubled; that should mean that the
average wage should be raised to $12 per week, which would be a vast
economic gain to the individual, the home, and to the state.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] See page 330.
[2] Similar records for the classes of 1915 and 1916 were not
preserved.
[3] As the physical examinations are made during the time of the
Annual Conference, in order to shorten the time as much as possible
the Board requested that the tests of endurance be omitted.