Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-02-23
A RECORDER OF PAIN
Interesting Particulars of an In
genious Invention.
BY Its Aid 1t Has Been Ascertnine d
That Women suffer More Than
Mcn-The Difference I'm
Classes.

3 Prof. Arthur Macdonald, specialist
in the United States bureau of educa-
/ ton. is carrying on series of investigar
tions 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 chill
/ dren and adults, and the result, aver
aged up 10 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-
49, MN, a >.la> -e44SitisC tnan
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
J 10 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 OBJ
tanned in a preliminary series of in
vestigations, but they promised SO
much that Prof Macdonald determined
10 extend his operations so as to gain
| information of much more special
character.
Prof. Macdonald, therefore, invented
little instrument which was designed
! to be used as a recorder of pain. He
calls it the algometer. 1t looks like an
immense hypodermic syringe, but the
principle of its operation is that of the
ordinary spring scale reversed. In
short, it is simple barrel and piston
affair. Inside the barrel is q coiled
spring. When the piston is pushed into
the barrel it necessarily congresses the
spring, which collapses according to
the pressure put uponit.
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 1t Vas
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 big
or her sensations That is, whethet
] the instrument hurt, or not. OF course
the moment it grew uncomfortable the
instrument was removed, as 1t 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, 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 person advances In
age. The left temple is more sensitive
than the fight temple. The left hand
is more sensitive than the right hand.
Children between ten and eleven years
| cid exhibit quite an obtuseness to pain,
which, however, dimipishes between
the ages Of IL and 12. That is, they
can stand less general pain when 1s
years old than they could just prior to
II years. But they become more obtuse
again when between IL and 13 years. y
Between the ages Of 13 and II 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-
| finements and luxuries tend TO increase
sensitiveness to pain. The hardihood
which the great majority must expert
ence seems advantageous"
This also accords with the result OF
previous measurements to the effect
that the non-laboring classes are more
sensitive to pain than laboring classes.
/ BY "laboring classes" is meant artisans
and unsktlled laborers; by non-labor-
ing classes is meant professional and,
mercantile men.
| 1t is found, as far as differences be-
tween sexes are concerned, that girls
in public schools are more sensitive at
all ages than boys. This, Of course,
corresponds to the previous measure
ments, which showed that women are
more sensitive to pain than men. Eight
hundred and ninety-nlne women and
children were tested in getting at the
above facts.--Boston Globe.