New-York tribune., 1909-01-16
REFORM IN FOOTBALL
FEWER INJURIES UNDER
REVISED RULES.
DR.. Nichols, of HdrUard, Shoes oy
Statistics Hoo Game Has
Been Improved.


hes- -er,ar,xahe decrease in all varieties Of In
.uries the grdiron since the revision OF the Ioo
bell rules in 1906 Dr. Nichols has mace an eAiau
tive study of the subject at Cambridge and MS re-
pert which is intensely interesting TO all tolo"ei
Of the sport is published n the current issue OF
The Boston Medical and Surgical Journai. IN
making the report he has had the cooperation o. W
Dr.. Frank L Richardson. who was MS ASSISTANT At
Harvard last fall.
The recspitulation Of injuries TO football players
at Harvard for lhe last four seasons shows that
there were more injuries, by thrty-two IN lss the
last season under the old rules than in the three
seasons combined under the revised code, which
speaks well for the game now played Ihe toi-
lowing table gives the details:
1906 1905 1907. 1908.
ssDssr ssmSsf 9: 9: Rsgss. - ,sS g 8 IS 81
The report shows that there were FIVE varieties Of
injury common prior TO 1895 that have decreased
materially IN number since the game was opened
up and the general style Of play changed In 1905
eleven men dIslocated the end OF the shoulder
while there were only two injuries OF this kind IN
1906 one in 1897 and FIVE last fall. the most serious
being the one which kept Captain Burr on the side
lines IN the Yale game
In 1905 ten players received injuries dislocating
senilunar car1lages. there being only one instance
of this 1905 and last fall There were thir-
teen ankles sprained Harvard in 1905, as many
ss have been sustained during the last three sea
sons altogether Twelve cuts requiring dressings
were sustained in 1895, there being four OF these
the following season. nine in 1857 and only two in
1905 In 1876 there were nineteen cases of con-
cussion. There five in 1906. five also in 1907
and only three in 1908.
In introducing his report. DR.. Nichols says:
In January, 1906 there was published a report
of the Injuries received by the members of the
Harvard University football squad while playing
football during the fall Of 1895 Before the begin
ming of the next football season radical changes
were MADE partlv 10 avoid the uninteresting mass
plays and partly TO lessen the number and severity
Since i' tbs revision Of the h rules has been made
one or both Of the writer's Of this article has been
and has kept careful clinical records OF the in
make q second report at the end Of the season of
1905 in order TO compare the injuries received
revised rules but il seemed better to wait until
observations could be made during series OF years
In order 20 be able TO draw more exact CONCLUSIONS
This report presents the statistics OF football in
squad during The seasons Of 1906 1901 and 1905 All
OF the games during this time were played under
old-fashioned mass plays and make open plays
much more profitable
The report then shows that the number Of in
juries a week dirninishes toward the end of the
season due partly the fact that the are
in better condition and that the more skilled play
ers left the squad. Many injuries 1t is
pointed out, come early in the season, when the
men are soft So far injuries are concerned in
games or practice Dr. Nichols says:
The opinion is held that the Injuries are the
more commonly received IN games than in prac-
tice- This, think, is not true. During the sea
son OF 1905 ten games played, and the in
iuries were distributed follows: Bowdoin, one
poop; Maine. one concussion; Bates. Williams,
Springfield, Navy, no injuries: Brown three con-
tusions. Indian. poop: Dartmouth. three
contEsions. one partial dislocation OF the outer
end Of the collaTbOne: Yale, a twisted knee an
injury to "Old shoulder" and q confusion.
This shows thar the injuries about The same
during practice during games. and it is notice
able that the more serious injuries this year were
received in practice. The severity of the injuries
can be measured in some degree by the time
spent at the infrmary by injured men. The list
&C from the varsity squad who have been
patients at the inlrmary was: 1905. patients g.
days in inhrmagy Il: l9G patients Il. days in in
urinary 2; 1908 patients T. days in infrTlary 2l-
in 1896 one patient in the hospital twenty
two days with ruptured kidney, which did not
come 20 operation. In 1877 patient was in
nine days with ruptured lateral Iigament In
1908 one patient was IN the infrmary eleven DAYS
with complete dislocation Of the outer end OF
the clayicle Another Index OF the severity of the
injuries IS the time men are kept Of play and
away from college exercises The following table
shows the total number Of days were kept
out Of practice OF college.