The Florence tribune., 1899-04-08
A RECORDER OF PAIN.
Interesting Particulars of an h.
 genious Invention.
5y It's Aid It Has Been Aseertefned That Women Suffer More Than Men-The Difference in
 Classes.

Prof. Arthur Macdonald, specialist in the United States bureau of educa- ton, is carrying on a series of inyestiga- tions for the purpose of finding out how sensitive the ordinary person is to pain.
 Under the direction of Prof. Mac Donald, school-teaehers all over the country have been testing school chil- dren and adults, and the result, aver aged up t0 date, contains some very curious and unlooked-for information concerning pain. Prof. Mcdonald first made tests on 1,412 persons, and from them drew the following conclu- sions:
 Women are more sensitive to pain than men.
 American professional men are more sensitive to pain than American busi- ness men, and also more sensitive than either English or German professional men. The laboring classes are much less sensitive to pain than the nom laboring classes.
 The women of the poorer classes are much less sensitive to pain than those in more comfortable conditions.
 Young men of the wealthy classes are much more sensitive to pain than men of the working classes.
 Young women of the wealthy classes are much more sensitive to pain than young men of the wealthy classes. As to pain, it is true, in general, that wom- en are more sensitive than men, but it does not necessarily follow Chat women cannot endure more pain than men.
 These quite general results were ob- tained in a preliminary series of in- vestigations, but they promised so much that Prof. Macdonald determined to extend his operations so as 10 gain information of g much more special character.
 Prof. Macdonald, therefore, invented a little instrument which was designed to be used as g. recorder of pain. He calls it the algometer. It looks like an immense hypodermic syringe, but the principle of its operation is that of the ordinary spring scale reversed. In short, it is a simple barrel and piston affair. Inside the barrel is coiled spring. When the piston is pushed into tie barrel it necessarily congresses the spring, which collapses according to the pressure put upon it.
 A scale in the side of the barrel re- cords the amount of pressure. Now, this affair was held against the temple Of each person examined. As it was pushed against the temple, of course, the piston receded into the barrel. When the pressure of the spring made the affair uncomfortable, the subject under examination would describe his or her sensations. That is, whether the instrument hurt, or not. Of course the moment it grew uncomfortable. the instrument was removed, as it was the greatest amount of sensitiyeness to pain that was 10 be tested.
 The instruments were used in tests all over the country. They were tried on the pupils of public and private schools They were tried on business men, business women, laborers, wash women, professional men and universi- ty women They were tried on various parts of the bodies of these persons. and differences of ages were noted Out of the mass of statistics received the following facts were obtained. Generally speaking, sensibility to pain decreases as a person advances in 1 age The left temple is more sensitive than the right temple. The left hand ] is more sensitive than the right hand. | Children between ten and eleven years | old exhibit quite an obtuseness to pain, | which. however, diminishes between the ares of Il and 12. That is, they can stand less general pain when 12 years old than they could just prior to Il years. But they become more obtuse again when between 12 and 13 years.
 Between the ages of B and IT the right temple increases in obtuseness, while the left temple increases in acute ness. Of course there are variations, but the above was culled from the ma jority of examples.
 Girls in private schools, the children in which generally come of wealthy parents, are found to be much more sensitive to pain than girls of public schools. Thus, in the language of Prof. Macdonald, it would appear that re- tinements and luxuries tend to increase sensitireness to pain. The hardihood which the great majority must experi- once seems advantageous"
 This also accords with the result of | previous measurements to the effect that the non-lahoring classes are more sensitive to pain than laboring classes. By 'siaboring classes" is meant artisans and unskilled laborers; by non-labor- ing classes is meant professional and
 mercantile men.