Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-11
WEST POINT HEAD
AGAINST FOOT BALL
Surgeon General Stokes oil
Navy Also Cites Evils of
Is -
the. Game.

Col Clarence p. Townsley, superintend-
ent OF the United States Military Acad-.
envy at West Point. has taken stand
against foot ball which will prove
shock to all lovers of the gridiron and
which may menace the future of the
game. especially as he is supported in
his views by DR.. Charles Stokes, surgeon
general of the navy.
Col. Townsley declares that while %
per cent of all the injured treated by the
surgeons in the season at West Point are
due to foot ball casualties, the patients
being the forty o.: fifty cadets who en-
gage in the game. there is no adequate
compensation in the way Of physical
training The remaining % per cent
comes from over COO cadets. and the in
juries are principally caused by work in
the gymnasium. such as athletics, wrest-
ling. boxing. etc, and from mounted
drills in cavalry and field artillery. me
game of polo in which the first and sec
ond class men engage, also furnishes a
few injuries.
Doubts Value of Game.
Col Townsley suggests that the
frequency of injuries to foot ball play
ers and the permanent character of
ton of whether foot ball is of sufficient
value to the corps to warrant its con-
tinuance and the tremendous expendi-
ture of time and money involved.
OF the sixty-one injuries due to foot
ball and treated at the hospital at
West Point from September ! to No
vember. 80 last year. eleven were OF q
character liable to cause future trouble
that is. Is per cent of the injuries
of
ley says:
Chief Purpose of Game.
Foot ball certainly serves no useful
purpose in the physical development of
training in the, corps. as it is voluntary
and attracts to its squad only the few
who are already physically strong, ac-
tive and well developed. It's value. If
it has any. lies mainly in the interest.
entertainment and excitement t af-
fords to the other members OF the
corps and the thousands VINO at:snd
its principal contests and are wiling
to contribute to its support"
Surgeon General Stokes is on record
as opposed to the playing of foot ball
at the Naval Academy. For several
wears he has protested against what he
terms spectacular athletics and has
produced statistics showing the unfa-
vorable results due to .overtra ming
and overstraining, followed by periods
of physical quietude exacted by service
conditions"
Suffer Loss of Health.
In one of his reports he showed the
records of 622 star athletes in classes
from 1892 to 1911, compared with the
records of $50 of the non-athletic mid
shipmen. showing in = effect that the
former had suffered severely in health.
An excess Of so per cent was shown
among these star athletes over the
non-athietic in valvular disease Of the
heart, general poor health. obesity and
tuberculosis, etc.
Surgeon General. Stokes believes that
this condition Is brought about by
entertaining and overstraining and has
recommended that athletics be resu-
lated to avoid such conditions, that en-
DURANGO contests dependent upon brute
force be. eliminated and that maxi
mum. effort be made to develop SYM
metrical normal physique, rather than
a highly specialized machines