New-York tribune., 1913-10-19
Figures on Harvard 0arSmen
Disprove Recent Assertions.
EARLY DEATH EXCEPTIONAL
DR.. Meylan's Statistics, Gath
cred Ten Years Ago, Take .
on New Interest.

In view OF the agitation stirred up by
Surgeon General Stokes. OF the navy. and
Colonel Clarence p. Townsley. Of the
United States Military Academy at West
Point TO have football abolished in the
service, a record which DR.. George /.
Meylan. director Of physical education at
Columbia University, prepared some time
ago, in reference TO the injuries which
college men suffer from participating in
college athletics. takes on a new interest
Dr. Meylan selected the oarsmen who
rowed in the Harvard crews from the
time rowing was established at Harvard
In 1852. until 1892. His investigation is the
most complete and thorough that has
even been undertaken on the subject, and
although the material was gathered ten
years ago. the effects OF athletics have
not changed materially since then.
DR.. Meylan had the record reprinted re-
Gently. In his introduction he says that
he selected rowing because It was the
oldest Of all American sports and. fur
ther, because the evils attributed TO row.
ing, especially In four-mile races. were al
most as great as those said TO be pro-
duced by football.
In part. DR.. Meylan's record reads
I'm order TO show how unreliable are
some OF the assertions made concerning
cases Of supposed injury. l will describe
case which investigated. A paper was
read at a convention OF the American
Physical Education Association. The
whole tone of the paper was condemna-
tory of athletic sports because OF their
injurious effects on the athletes. In proof
OF this contention the writer offered the
following evidence:
81 was recently discussing this sub
ject with a Harvard graduate who was
captain and stroke OF his varsity crew.
He Informed me that he was the sole
survivor, all the rest OF the famous team
having succumbed TO some form Of heart
complaint.
This statement attracted my attention
because my data on Harvard varsity
crews failed to show any case In which
all but one of the oarsmen were dead.
then proceeded to investigate the matter.
] secured from the author OF the paper
the name of the gentleman who was said
TO have made that statement looked up
MS TeCOIu ana lOuIu tflht ne was DOW oar
on his class crew for three years, but had
never been on varsity crew
During these three years there were
seven different men on his crew. and they
are all living now except one. who died
thirteen years after he left college: and
these men are all between sixty and sew
enty years old. for they rowed about
forty-fiye years ago,
81 had the pleasure OF meeting this gem
tleman and learned that his statement
had been misunderstood and that he was
not well informed concerning the present
status of some of his fellow oarsmen. He
was surprised TO learn from me that two
of his fellow oarsmen whom he believed
10 have died years ago are now living.
Another interesting case will serve to
show how careful one must be in trusting
the memory of old men concerning events
which happened forty or fifty years ago.
wrote TO a gentleman who was a men,
Der OF Harvard University crew in the
50s to ask for an interview. In his an
swer he said, In speaking OF the members
Of his crew:
All, so far as ! know, have died since
the race But there are two other men,