Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-08-17
How Various Human Emotions May Be Re-
corded by Delicate Mechanical Devices.

so found to be much the more acute
in distinguishing temperatures.
The marks of "dull' and bright
affixed by the teachers led to some
further conclusions of great interest.
Girls showed higher percentages of
average ability" than boys. but the
boys showed the higher percentages in
extremes. The boys were found to be
more variable. Variability, the an
thropologist says, must be regarded
as an excellency. If an organism can
vary itself it can adapt itself better
to its surroundings. Children of the
laboring classes were found to be in
non-laboring classes.
An algometer was used upon the
temples and palms of the hands to de-
termine the least sensibility of differ
ent children to pain or to disagree
able impressions caused by pressure.
The instrument is brass cylinder
with a steel rod entering one end. The
rod is attached inside to a spring with
scale and marker measuring the de-
grees of pressure in grammes. The
object was to discover how much pres
sure could be borne before the least
pain resulted. Girls were found to be
much more sensitive than boys. and
girls in the public schools showed less
sensitiveness than those in the pri-
vate schools.
1t was concluded that In boys sem
sitiveness to pain decreases in the or
der of their birth, whether first born,
second born, etc., but the reverse SEEM
ed to be the case with girls. Boys
with light hair and eyes were found to
be less sensitive than boys with dark
hair and eyes, the same being true of
girls, Bright boys and girls at the
same time appear to be more sensitive
than dull boys and girls. DR.. MacDon-
aid is of the opinion that luxuries and
refinement increase this sensitiveness
in people in general.
Children of the non-laboring class
es were found to be twice as sickly as
those of the laboring classes The
highest percentage of laZiness and of
unruliness was found among boys de-
signated as dull. Boys showed high
er laziness average than girls. The
sons of laborers were found less I'M
ruly than those of non-laboring class
es. The reverse was the rule with
girls. Commissions were frequent in
dull boys and those of non-laboring
classes, but very rare in girls gener-
| ally. That nervousness increases with
| the refinements of life is indicated by
! the highest average for this defect in
the white children of non-laboring
classes and the lowest average in col
ored children.
When blood is reduced by thought,
! exercise or other stimulus to flow from
one part of the body to the brain or to
another part Dr. Macdonald measures
! the extent of flow by submerging the
part in question-as an arm, for in
stance-through an alright rubber
dam into a glass vessel of water. AS
the blood decreases the amount of air
between the water and the rubber in
| creases and the increase is measured
/ by pointer. Quite as sensitive are
score of instruments for measuring
movements of muscles. One can be
clasped above any muscle OF the body
| for this purpose.
! Another records the breathing, and
with it it has been learned that con-
centration of mind causes respiration
| to grow less and consequent impov-
erishment of the blood. Still another
records the exact movements of the
| fingers and toes. Another measures
and counts nervous tremblings and
! still another the sensitivencss to ia
tigue. Others gauge the pressure and
movements of the tongue in speech or
nervousness. A still more delicate
device registers the exact motions of
| the lips in talking.
The actions of the larynx-Adam'
apple-are similarly studied. To study
the wigglings of the soft palate in