The physical test of man

1.6 MB·English

by  Sargent, Dudley Allen, 1849-1924

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AMERICAN PHYSICAL EDUCATION REVIEW
AM
THE PHYSICAL TEST OF AH;
DR. D. A. SARGENT, CAMBRIDGE,
One of the strongest of the natural ravity to pull us down irom our top-
forces with which man is constantly lofty, vertical position to a horizontal
We
ivity, or the tendency plane. pay our respect to this natural
of his body to be attracted and held to force by availing ourselves of every op-
the surface of the earth. The infant first portunity to lean, sit, and recline at our
crawls, then creeps on its hands and work throughout the day, and we finally
knees, and finally by the aid of crib or yield to it completely by assuming a
tir or mother's assistance, gets onto his horizontal position for sleep at night.
feet. The raising of the head, the Many of these bodily weaknesses and
jhtening of the spine, grasping with imperfections to which I have refe
the hands and feet, and striking out and have arisen largely from civilized man's
kicking with the arms and legs are only neglect to care for the form and sti
preliminary movements necessary to pre- of his bodily mechanism'as an African
pare for the standing position. All the Zulu or Sandwich Islander would do.
twisting, rolling, wriggling, squirming, Instead of priding himself upon his
crawling, creeping, and occasional stiffen- ity to sit straight without support for !..
ing and straightening of the trunk and spine and legs, as,shown by many of the
limbs an infant can be induced to do, the savage tribesmen, civilized man It
better it will be for his future develop- riates in upholstered chairs and loun^
ment. moulded to his physical defects, and
A child must first get a footing in the then wonders why he has a weak back
world and be able to move in the erect and can not stand in a vertical position.
position before the adult may properly Yet the ability to stand erect, thereby
function as a human being. In other relieving the arms and hands from sup-
words, the child must pass in a few porting the body, and conserving their
months from the animal stage of its strength to be directed into self-chosen
existence where all its organic inher- activities constitutes man's supreme in-
itances for thousands of years had fitted heritance.
its body to resist the force of gravity in How is this ability attained? By
a horizontal plane, to a vertical posi- gradually strengthening and developing
tion wheregravity acts in a perpendicular the muscles all up and down the front
plane. Is it any wonder that over 75 and back of the trunk and These
paaasttetitraIbvanfeiacdlndetynhetternphreoeoeecsfwtti?ausobsruiatelrrn,iaytyiynoadunottdouhtbhtmeotehfaaaesbtbtiotltoisthtohtyihssteefoxecsewosesimrtipheoaaavunrves-der- meleheequrinuasggigchtlelthie.bsarabWihonuohudmltedonbotvrnheeteerah-edbsttiobhhxdoetydhttyabwtkaiohelsenatfnhepctueeelotsergd,g<paseiwc.'nn'hcdiupicrecahrut,fleealciyrtn
ness of failing to measure up to this test balanced on the bones of the le"^ -
of young manhood, ask your physician as spine, gravity is acting parallel with th<
to the fundamental causes of the follow- bones, and consequently the strain is
ciunrgvalitsutroef, pkhnysoicckalkinmeepse,rfebcotwionlseg:ss,pifnlaalt ttahkreonwnloanrtgeolythefbroonmestahned mluigsacmleensts.and
feet, drooping head, round shoulders, If one relaxes from this vertical posi-
weak backs, varicose veins, hernia, sag- tion, and stands with the body flexed or
ging of the abdominal organs, misplace- bent forward at the knees, hips, back, and
ment of the pelvic organs, and many neck, the strain is then brought upon the
other physical weaknesses and defects muscles and after a little while the ef
which afflict mankind. of standing becomes intolerable. But
These prevailing weaknesses are mainly strain or pain means loss of power and
due to the failure of the body to make energy. This is the reason why a perfect
provision to resist this constant force of poise in standing or sitting is the most
78X689
economical-position th.-i.r can be main- sideration in publishing the names of
tained. players on the great football teams, boat
Although;the.ability of a man to stand crews, and in other athletic organizations.
on hjfsvi$Sfe awd maintain perfect poise Why? Simply because in a vague way.
is of vital importance, it is not the only there is thought to be a correlation be-
requisite. He has other things to do. tween the height and weight and a man's
iod of youth, physical efficiency. Up to the normal
wnne one is acquiring ms siaiui sd to
should be used so as to stimulate the increase with his height and weight. Men
growth force, not to retard it, as is often are matched in boxing, wrestling, and
done by keeping children too long on tug-of-war contests according to their
their feet either in working or playing. weights, such as lightweights, 135
It is better to continually fall and try to pounds; middleweights, 160 pounds:
rise again than to remain standing too heavyweights, 175 pounds; etc. In box-
long. ing and wrestling, at least, this weight
A young man having acquired full classification is further refined by hav-
stature, and learned to stand and sit cor- ing a bantam-weight class of 115, a
rectly in defiance of the laws of gravity, featherweight class of 125, a welter-
must generate still more force and let weight class of 145, and a heavyweight
gravity act in harmony with his phys- class for all men over 175 Ibs.
iological necessities and his mental and No team, crew or individual contest-
physical desires. In other words, he must ants would be considered well-matched
add to his weight as well as his height be- if they had to give or accept much dif-
fore he can cut any figure in the world, ference in weight from their opponents.
bear his own burdens, fight his own bat- So we find in studying the characteristics
tles, and render service to others. This of different types of athletes and gym-
means that he must extend his growth nasts that variations in stature or total
force and developmental energies into height, sitting height, height of knee, and
body breadths, depths, and thicknesses as relative length of trunk and limbs, tend
determined by given measurements, as to favor different classes of athletic per-
well as into lengths or vertical directions. formers. As a rule, the oarsman is
The only way of adding effective weight favored by having a long body and
is through the development of the mus- relatively short legs; the middle distance
cles which constitute nearly 50 per cent runner, jumper, and hurdler by having
of all the tissues of the normal man. long legs and a relatively short body; the
aanndd dfeutnecrtmiionneotfo tahelarogteheerxtoerngtantsh.e sBizye ghyemavnyasltisftebrybyhahvaivnigngshsohrotrtartmhisgh;sa.ndAtnhde
this use of the term muscle, I do not refer so through the whole range of athletic
to the large superficial voluntary mus- specialists, each gains some mechanical
cles only, but to the muscles of digestion, advantage from the development that is
circulation respiration, glandular organs, peculiar to him.
special senses, etc. The only way that Woman's incapacity for certain kinds
any muscle tissue may be developed is of physical activities as compared with
through the activities and our respon- man's arises largely from the fact that
;
sibility for the proper training, nutrition, she is on* the average 25 pounds lighter
and consequent development of this part and five inches shorter than he is. The
of our anatomy is great indeed. whole Japanese race averages only five
The primary object of all the efforts feet four inches in stature, due largely
of physical education through athletic to their relatively short legs that have
games, sports, plays, and general gym- undoubtedly been made so by their long-
nastics, is to add to the power and ef- continued racial habit of sitting on their
ficiency of mind and body through the heels with their legs sharply bent under
agency of the muscular system. This them. These facts and many more have
efficiency is determined largely, I shall come to us through our studies in an-
hope to show, through the intimate re- thropometry and the classification of
lation of body height and weight. These physical measurements.
two factors are always taken into con- Age. sex. and race are rightly con-
IMEKIC.-IX PHYSICAL EDUCATION REVIEW
sidered the dominant factors in evaluat- almost intuitively do. we are soon taught
ing any body measurements, and the by experience that there is in many men
height, weight, and chest girth are ad- an unknown equation which makes lor
mittedly the most important of these power and efficiency which has never
measurements. Moreover, there is a been determined and which can
only lie
probable standard of height, weight, and measured by an actual test.
chest girth for every age, each sex and all The important question is, what is this
tkhneowdnififneraentgenrearcaels.wayThbeysethofsaectwshoasree usinmkpnloywnandequpartaicotnicaallnyd theostwedcaannditnub-e
business it is to make physical examina- merically expressed? "With a good many
tions, such as surgeons in the army and others, I have been wrestling with this
pnhayvsyi,cialnisfew-hinosuerxanacmeineexsacmhionoelrsa,nd caonld- tpersotsb,leemndfuorraynecaerstebsytst,hespweaeyd otfesstts,renegUt\h,
lege students, candidates for civil service, but have never come across any one that
and employees in all the different trades satisfied me or quite met the demands of
aarned niondwustbreiiensgwthaekreen pihnytsoiccaolnsciodnedriattiioonn.s tohreisnivteunattoiorn.orIdtiisscosvaeirdetrh,atifehveerfyivpeisonleoengr
So. in theory at least, it may be well enough, goes through three stages in his
said in support of the relationship of career. The first one is where his prop-
bodily measurements and vital functions ositions are unfounded and absurd; the
"that the greater advance we may make second stage is where if proven true, they
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imperfect development of any one organ career, and want to share.what seems to
or function throws the remaining or- me the simplest and most effective of all
ganism out of gear, and constitutes a tests of physical ability with the other
greater or less tendency to disease." fools who have been 'looking for one.
In popular estimation it takes so many I have dwelt at some length upon gravity
inches and so many pounds and a certain as a constant force to be overcome and
size chest girth to'make a man, and this its relation to the height and weight and
estimation is borne out largely by expe- other measurements of the body. The
rience. Hence, the universal interest in new test that I offer consists of using
the physical measurements of the human the constant factors of height and weight
body. However, those of us who are which one always has with him. in a little
meengnatgseodf minenmbaykitnhegthphoyussiacnadlsomoenaslueraer-n odfi.fferIetntiswsaoystihmapnleisancdomymeotnsloyetfhfeocutgihvte
the limitations of the information which for testing the strongest man or weakest
comes to us from this source alone. woman or child that one feels almost like
While it is true that the strength and apologizing to the general public for
functional capacity of a part generally mentioning it.
increases with the size of that part, other
twhhienrges boetihnegr etqhuianlg,stahreennuomtbeerquaolf cisasesos THE NEW TEST.
numerous that the generalization should The individual to be tested stands un-
be greatly modified. der a cardboard disk, or paper b*ox cover,
The measurements alone do not tell us heavy and stiff enough to hold its form,
anythingof the texture and quality of the about twelve inches in diameter, held or
parts covered, i.e., how much is fat or suspended from ten to twenty or more
bone, and how much muscle, nor do the inches above his head. He is then re-
measurements alone give us any informa- quested to bend forward, flexing the
tion of innervation of the parts, upon trunk, knees, and ankles, and then by a
which power and efficiency so frequently powerful jump upward, straightening the
depend. Even if we accept the physical legs and spine, to try to touch the card-
measurements of a man as an indication board disk with the top of the head.
of his potential power, as so many of us Swinging the bent arms forward and
tip-
E PHYSICAL 7 OF A MAX
ward at the time the legs, back, and neck deal upon the length of the leg:
are extended, will be found to add to
the height of the jump. When the disk
has been placed at the highest point above an exact ratio of the height jumped to
the head that can be just touched in the stature would seem to make the test
iumping, this height is measured. The more equitable. Thus, if the man weigh-
difference between this height and that ing 150 pounds was 70 inches tall and
of the total stature is of course the height jumped 20 inches above his head, the
actually jumped. ratio of 20 to 70 would account for this
Xow, if this height is multiplied into advantage in height. This ratio may be
the total weight of the body at the time obtained bv the following formula
:
of making the jump, it will give one some Formula C
idea of the amount of work done in foot
pounds as usually calculated. But it will Height Jumped >; 100 _
be observed, no credit is given for lifting Total Height
the full weight of the body from the deep Although the formulae A, B. and C
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into the full weight and divided by 12 divide this product by the total height of
(to reduce inches to feet) would equal tfahierpienrdseoxnoifntihnecheefsfortthemaredseultinwtihlel sgmiavella-
43? foot pou=nds, thus: est number of figures. This is always an
Formula A advantage in making a test and handling
Weight X Hal-f the Height -43. P.P. theThdautsa ifforthsetatiinsdtiicvaildupaulrptoessetse.d weighed
150 pounds and jumped 20 inches above
In estimating work done outside of the his head and was 70 inches tall, the
body, this amount of energy expended formula for his efficiency index would
is not always taken into consideration as be as follows
power expended. In the new test, how- Index :
ecveerrt,ainanamionudnivtidoufalwomrukstinnpohtysiocnallyedffoorat Weight X Jump _150 X 20 _ ^ ^
in rising from the crouching attitude to Height or Stature" 70
the perpendicular position, but he must As an example of the way this formula
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the height attained in the standing posi- test from the Sargent School of some
tbtsihyhoionsu1.2lwdeIwifojguuhthltmidpsmupe2leq0turiaspilolnnic2eh5wde0esibFgya.hbio2Pn0v.geat1nhh5iud0ss:dphioeviuigndhdetsd, mlofitiomhunierdnrahtrtuhyhnaadtpnrrneatocdhntaieptcuepowifhlfsiot.crhhetIhgtciisormlmupsesashrttaibtdcoeualbtnaohryrenmtpeerseiti-n,n
=
Formula B their regular school work. \Yith the
Weight X Height Jumped _ freshmen at least it was largely a ques-
12 tion of natural ability. < See Table I.)
Xo. 1 is a vigorous athletic girl, being
This amount of work done would be fit.r> inches in height and 152 pounds in
acceptable according to the usual meth- weight. She jumps >( inches above
ods of estimating man power. Both her head which is .300 of her height,
the A and B formulae are frequently used does 253 foot pounds of work (as
for tests of the physical basis of effi- shown by multiplying her weight by
ciency. The height jumped will depend the height jumped and dividing that
AMERICA* PHYSICAL EDUCATION REl'lEW
TABLE
I.
FIRST TEN* OUT OF FOUR HUNDRED TESTED AT THE SARGENT SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL
EDUCATION, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
Ratio
Jumpto
Height
1. L.V. M. Jun. 20 20
M. N.G. Sen.
!.
M.E.W.
3.
4. M.J.O. Jun.
5. H.W. Sen. 15.3
6. M. E. F. Fresh. 1'
'. J.I.J. Fresh. 14
8. E.M. B. Sen.
9. H.A. B. Fi
10. B. S. Fresh. 18 17.5
&* "*
Average
product by 12) and has an energy index in height. As might be expected she
of 45. jumps the least height of any in the
No. 2 has an energy index of 43.2. group, and the least percentage of her
Although she is shorter and lighter than own height. But she projects 196 pounds
some of her mates and does less foot fourteen inches above her head and
pounds of work than four others in the thereby does 240 foot pounds of work,
group, she lifts her weight higher in pro- which'makes her the second strongest
paorhtiigohnstcoorhee.r hSehieghti,s aanndeatrhneersetfosrteudgeentts oneNoo.n8t,healltihsto.ugh she lac1- *u ~~^*
and a good all-round athlete, but not a ical advantage in height thai a gin ui u<
star. or 68 inches would possess, and has the
No. 3 is the star athlete of her class, least advantage in weight of any in the
excelling especially in running and jump- group, still manages to project her 117.5
ing. In this test she jumps 20.5 inches pounds 20.5 inches above her head, which
above her height, but she is 4.5 inches is the highest ratio of her <
taller than No. 2 and does not lift her of any in the group (.333).
weight as high in proportion to her quitestrong forher hei^
height. very energetic she also has the distinc-
No. 4 although of the same weight as tion of being the highest ranking scholar
Nos. 2 and 3, and jumping the same pro- in her class. The records of Nos. 9 and
portion of her height as the girl above 10 are self-explanatory. They are girls
hgtphseeehhortieauNN,sgnnoohidd.a.sttoshlea6ri5osetashtqslnenaujteodisrutrlwometonthpjshowgoseueamhrrshauphnaiaieismsnvagakeedrsheyelxhtiyipgh.inniridgdrsfeehleicxxvew.aewdenaeeisdiidggnNhtchtohhhiee.enrrsag,e5,fll1boeea7urssl6tess- owsdwinfeueeipixIpgefghihrhhantiyatfe,osvtrieenaiqrannutctadeouotrmlwhaatimieslthlsetellesnpehhtsamyosehvsoewdoeirvnrwqeeuaungpbeatesyorm,inanutii^dhtnncgiehiohvneoihghddeh.veuiiaiagargglthihhshtaet,ltreitaaobeinnnesndds-,-
though she is 3.i> inches shorter and cause these variations illustr;
wfoerigthhsis3d1ifpfoeruenndcse ilnessw.eigShhteamnadkehesiguhpt pvaernisaattiionngofna7t.u4reincohfestihnehte<ight and 78.5
by jumping an inch and a half higher, and pounds in weight, there is little dif
jweuimXgpoh.iinn7ggias1gt9rh6eeahtpeeoaruvnipdeessr,tcgeainnrtldoifinshteh6er8 hsiecnihcgohhoetls., ttienesntt,hienaisrtpahlhelysswicecharoleola.abbillieWtyhtaoatsmsaohknoeewilacks in
Harvard Medical School Courses for Graduates
PHYSIO-THERAPY
For Properly Qualified Women
A course of eight weeks' duration, under the supervision of Dr. R. W. Lovett, will betrin
June 15, 1921. andwill include instruction in Functional Anatomy, the after-care of industrial
accidents, Infantile Paralysis, diseases ofjoints, andother orthopedic affections.
The instruction will be given at the Harvard Medical School. Children's Hospital, and allied
100for eight weeks. Course not give or less than 12 students, and limited to 20.
tration must be arranged in advance a first inquiry should include full particular
previous training, institutional and o rwise. Registration, closes June 4, 1921.
For further particulars write to Asst. Dean, Courses for Graduates,
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
American Frohse Anatomical Charts
^-r Life-Size Seven Plates Size 42x66 inches
^ "*HIS series ofseven largeplates contains seventeen separate life-size and larger illustrations
JL ofthe human anatomy. The colors are as true tolifeas it is possible toobtain by modern
scientific lithography. All figures areanatomically accurate in form and detail; they were care-
fully edited, revised and augmented by the foremost ofAmerican medical illustrators,
MAX BRODEL, ProfessorofMedicalDrawing Johns HopkinsMedical School
"Ifindthemextremelyinterestingtothestudentsandveryhelpfulininstruction."saysMr.E.Berryofthe
InternationalY.M. C.A.College,Springfield.Mass. Yourexperiencewould bethesame if you had a set of
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height and length of limb, she makes up this deficiency by greater determination,
in strength, speed, and energy; what an- will power, nerve force, or some other
other lacks in weight she makes up in unknown quality, that makes for physical
height and energy; what still another one efficiency. If any one of the factors
lacks in energy and speed she makes up chosen for the formula had been adopted
iwnhislueperstiiollr haeniogthhte,rstwrehnogthl,acaknsd b"woetihghtin; alisttlae sdtifafnedraerndt,tiytpewooufldgirhlavteo btrheougfrhotnta.
height and weight has to make up for This is shown by the following table:
TABLE
II.
STANDING OI 'IRST TEN ACCORDING TO OTH ACTORS AS, JUMP, HEIGHT,
WEIGHT, ETC.
Ratioof
JumptoHeigh Foot Pounds
W
2. M.. VM..MWG. 12.. ME..ME.. B. 21.. JH..I.A.J.B. 1J.. EM.. MM..WBG..
3. M. E. 3. L. V. M. 3. L. V. MW. 3. M. E. 3. M. E. \V
45.. HM.. WJ..O. 45.. MM.. JM..OG. 45.. BM..SE.. 54.. LM..VI.. OM.. 45.. MH.. WM.. G,
6. M. E. F. 6. B. S. 6. H. W. 6. B. S. 6. M. J. O.
7- J. I. J. 7. M. E. F. 7. E. M. B. 7. M. E. F. 7. H. A. B.
8. E. M. B. 8. H. A. B. 8. M. M. G. S. H. W. S. B. S.
9. H. A. B. 9. H. W. 9. M. E. F. 9. H. A. B. 9. M. E. F.
10. B. S. 10. J. I. J. 10. J.I. J. 10. E. M. B.