Arizona republican., 1899-03-18
A RECORDER OF PAIN.
Interesting Particulars of an h.
 genious Invention.
By Its Aid It Has Been Ascertaine That Women Suffer More Than Men-The Difference in
 Classes.


 ton, is carrying on q series of investiga- tons for the purpose of finding out how sensitive the ordinary person is to pain.
 Under the direction of Prof. Mac Donald, school-teachers all over the country have been testing school chii- dren and adults, and the result, aver aged up to date, contains some very curious and unlooked-for information concerning pain. Prof. Macdonald 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 non 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 that women cannot endure more pain than men.
 These quite general results were ob- taiEed in a preliminary series of in vestigatons, but they promised so much that Prof. Macdonald determined to extend his operations so as to gain information of much more special character.
 Prof. Macdonald, therefore, invented 6 little instrument which was designed to be used as a recorder of pain. He calls it the algometer. It looks like an immense hypodermic syringe, but he principle of it's operation is that ofthe ordinary spring scale reversed. 7lfn short, it is a simple barrel and piston affair. Inside the barrel is a 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
  pushed against the temple, of course, the piston receded into the barrel. l 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 sensitiveness to ! pain that was to 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. laborcrs, wash | women, professional men ard universi- | tN 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 age The left temple is more sensitive than the right temple. The left hand is more sensitive lhan the right hand Children between ten and eleven years old exhibit quite an obtuseness to pain, which. however. diminishes between the ages of II and 12. That is, they can stand less general pain when 12 } ears old than they could just prior to Il years. But they become more Gbtuse again when between F and 13 years.
 Between the ages of 13 and F the right temple increases in obtuseness, W hiIe the left temple increases in acute ness Of course there are variations, but the above was culled from the ma jori4y 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. it would appear that re- finements and luxuries tend to increase 10 pain. The hardihood which the great majority must eNperi- cnce seems advantageous"
 This also accorGs with the result of previous measurements to the effect that the non-laboring classes are more sensitive to pain than laboring classes. By tailoring classes" is n.eant artisans and unskilled laborers; by non-labor- ing classes is meant professional and mercantile men.
 It is found. as far Is differences be- tween sexes are concerned, that girls in public schools are more sensitive at III ages than boys. This. of course, to the previous measure nients. which showed that women are mere sensitive 2 pain than men. Eight hundred and ninety-nine women and children -tere tested in getting at the above facss.-Bos3on Globe.
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