The Helena independent., 1892-06-26

EM>AKass~ vsrsty Of Tuyin,
AAMs9E IA Italy. ana one Of ths|
VC>k1&& great lights Of mod.
M7.f}1<NY srn scientific -.
Nv AMSS searches, came fOT.
Il A ,VEalNW ward recently With J
yNh Wx new theory which ~
JJU WIN called 1.-THE physical
nm IfsNNNx> insensibility os 40
II /L~A He declared TIM
the common conjscs
ture that women are more sensitive thAn
men ia m opinion that is not confirmed "
scientific research. He had made huns
dred experiments With tho psthesiomstos
to measure the sensitiveness of touch u
women, and had found II to be Ii genera
nearly twice ~ obtuse as that Of mon. IA
had made experiments with the electric
algometer on mo less than fifty women
to test general sensibility and sensitivenssA
TO pain. and from the results had decided
that women are characterized In genera
''by marked degree of sensory obtuss
ness"
From somo Of the principal surgeons of
Europe he had learned that women allow
themselves TO bo operated on with astCn-
ishiDg insensibility. BY distinguished
dentists he had been told thAt women un-s
dsrRo dental operations with more facility
than men, and do not swoon nearly 90 fxs-g
quently in the dentists chair.
He concludes that women suffer less pain
than mon, both moral and physical, bs-s
cause of their less sensitive nervous organ-
ization, and declares that this hypothesis u
bo ov,l khaN NxvS1 ovv,la in khn kAsp
longevity Of women.
But the leading neuroloRists, surgeons,
physicians and dentists Of New York refuse
to sanction the great mans argumsnts.
They give him high praise - ! scientific
could be found Who agreed With him ~
No." said Dr. Charles Il. Dams. ~ can-
not agree with Prof. Lombrososs conelu-
sions, for my experienes ~ 9 physician a.
rectly contradicts them. Lombroao ID =
thinker OF striking originality, who has
opened new paths OF scientific investigation
that are leading TO great results. Undouht-
edly he il one Of the great Reniuses Of this
century. But in this particular case u
ences from insufficient data.
THE results he has reached By his testa
with the a1thesiometer and the algometor
rnust stand as so many facts and 90 Tar ~
they 20 they are of value. But hfty tests
are not enough to establish rule. AT least
thousand persons would need to be exam
tined In order to make trustworthy general
inference. And even after 4le had got r0.
suit for the Italian race 1t might not b0
true for the Anglo-Saxon race or for Amer
leans And again. nervous sensibility ~
ries 10 much In the same person at differ
ent times with different physical condi-
tions, that test which gives ono result
to-day may give very different ons . week
hence.
my observations AZ physician have
convinced me that women suffer moro pain
than men. For forty years Of life, pesson
for person. the woman suffers three times
~ much as the man--measure il by pints,
quarts or yards, the proportion will remain
tue same-thrse to one. IL seems to me
that the sensory nerves from oil parts Of
the body to the brain are more open 10 Inn
pressions In women than in men. and their
nerve centers less firmly tackled down, ~ II
were. and so there 10 more excitAticn ok
the brain in women and quicker response
TO outside irritation and consequently mOTo
feeling. M
1.-THE nervous systems Of women sYe
more subject to arrangement than ay09
those OF men. Nervous diseases are more
common among thom. But tho Same paris
Of the body do not show the Same liability
to nervous disease in the two sexes. For
instance. neuralgia Of the face 10 much
more usual among women. while nourAlRiA
of the leg is more common among men. =
DO women show more moral resiataneoy
to pain than menl DO they make u more
a matter OF pride to chow courage aud eon-
ceal the faot that thing hurts2"
That is what was educated to believe,
replied DR.. Dana, land what / always did
believe until experience AZ phyaioian re-
versed my opinion. II has been my obsos-
hurt than men do, and that they Will NOD
so "a long without having q thing that pains
them attended To-. But whom man
comes along who 10 afraid Of being hust
he ia terror--he il worse than any ~
man."
Or. Grace Peckham. is peculiarly we'll
qualified to pronounce upon the value Of
Lombroso's experiments, because ahe haa
made study Of msthesiogrRphy, has hog
self made larger number OF experiments
the subject and has invented an instrument
to make the register Of sensation more
precise. She reads Prof. Lomb1oso's aftj.
ole through and then she said:
I'm the first place, NO trustworthy con-
clusion can be formed from such insufficient
data. Many times that number Of expert
ments would have TO be made before Q
valid conclusion could be drawn.
In the next place, men In general hAVo 8 I,
more critical, better trained Judgment than
women. and they car. better report the ssn-
sations they feel III the conrse OF thsse s. n
periments. This inyalidates. 10 q csstsin
extent, the testimony OF women a come
pared with that OF men - TO their taottle
sensitivensHs. @
"And in ths third place, Websr's ssthosi.
ometer, which Lombroso says he used III {
making his experiments. IL not trnstNor-
thy, for II does NOS record with prscisi1u.
In using an instrument requiring such dolt.
caoy Of handling tho amount OF pTssiufo
from the hands Of the operator will make
great difference with the result. Unless
that amount Ia measured and u made The
same in all compared cssss ths recruits are
worthless. The instrument he uses takes !.
no account OF pressure.
In regard to sensitivsnsss 10 pain. y0u
know II you live near tho souice OF oome /
loud. constant noise, whom you dsst 90 thsf6 4
you find sleep impossible aud life o0nAlns
nal torture. But gradually thu nnoaaatnN
hamnering of that noise upon the ndsl6iS u
nerve gets IL SO acoustomed % th4 upte1 IA
that the brain ceases 10 tsks uatire az
fon are able 70 sleep. Practically 20 "
not hear the noise. s17AI & III
$50 u ID with pain. The ssns0sy n1rS4 = 4
get 70 accustomed 70 being bsatsn elK = i