The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-03-26
Prof. MscOonaId's AIgomefaT
Shows The Degrees Of Pain.
lNalvl0uALs CAN WITHSTAND.
SeashiiI 10 Pain Decreases Is Age In
cIsaSss Wealthy Glasses More Ssnsl.
tive Than the Poor.

Washington. March 2c,-Experiments
are now being conducted In the Chicago
public schools with Prof. Arthur Mac
Donald's temple aigometer." The pro-
fessor, who Is specialist In the United
States Bureau Of Education. has written
many works on criminology and sociology
ana is the inventor OF several devices
for experimentation the development
OF these sciences.
by his temple algometer'' the degrees
OF sensitivcness 10 pain are ascertsnned.
AS the result OF his experiments and OBJ
servations. Prof, Macdonald has arrived
at these general conclusions.
Women are more sensitive 10 pain than
men.
sensitive TO pain than American business
men. and also more sensitive than both
English and German professional men.
The laboring classes. artisans and un-
skilled laborers. are much less sensitive
10 pain than those In more comfortable
circumstances.
Young women OF the wealthy classes
much more sensitive to pain than men
Of the working classes.
The women OF the poorer classes are
in better conditions
Young wmoen of the wealthy classes
are much more sensitive TO pain than
young men of the wealthy classes. As to
pain Il is true I'm general that women are
more sensitive than men. but II does not
necessarily follow that women cannot en-
dure more pain than men.
The left hand Is more sensitive 10 pain
:.
The classification OF results, bason on a
large number. OF experiments is given by
Prof. Macdonald az follows:
Girls In private schools who are gem
orally of wealthy parents, are much more
sensitive To pain than girls in the public
schools. ~ would appear that rehne-
Inents and luxuries tend 10 increase sem
sitiveness to pain. The hardihood which
the great majority must experience seems
advantageous. This accords Win pre-
Nious measurements that the non-laborinG
classes are more sensitive To pain than
the laboring classes.
University women are more sensitive
than washerwomen. There seems To be
no necessary relation between Intellectual
development and pain sensitiveness. Ob-
tuseness to pain seems 10 De due more
10 hardhood I'm early life.
Self-educated women who are not train
ed In universities are more sensitive than
business women. The greater sensitive
ness OF self-edocated women as compared
with university women may be due 10
overta King the nervous system OF the
former I'm their unequal struggle after
knowledge.
The girls In the public schools are more
sensitive at all ages than the boys. This
agrees with the result OF previous meas
urements that women are more sensitive
than men.
In general the sensibility 10 pain de-
creases as age increases. The left temple
is more sensitive than the right. There
IS an increase of obtuseness To pain from
ages ten to eleven; then a decrease from
eleven TO twelve: then an Increase from
twelve 10 thirteen; from thirteen To sew
enteen, while the right temple increases
I'm obtuseness. the left temple increases
In acuteness
Giving then the divisions In the order
of their acuteness to the sense OF pain,
they would stand as follows:
First. girls Of the wealthy classes: sec
ond, self-educated women. third. business
women: fourth, university women; fifth,
MasherWomen.