Evening star., 1928-05-13

presented a paper on the depth of sleep
In adults. and their careful measure
mentS tended TO show that Slumber has
sort of rhythmic progress, like the
tide rolling UP beach. Short periods
of deep, motionless sleep are followed by
longer periods of light sleep and rest
leSSnesS
Strange to say. the experiments al
ready conducted tend to show that ex-
actly the opposite Is the case with
children.
All the little ones brought to the Child
Research Center have their regular
maps. A device attached to the cot
records the movements of each child
during sleep, The records obtained
thus far show, almost without excep-
ton. that the child falls asleep sud
denly after q period of rather extreme
restlessness, and is held In the grip Of
uniform depth of slumber until Ii
wakes suddenly The records show
simply straight line during the sleep
period
The child doesn't emerge from the
sea of sleep gradually and resistingiy.
as does the adult. There is no unpleas-
antneSS about leaving the warm COM
fort Of the bed. It simply opens its
eyes and wants to be up and st play.
It could hardly fall back to sleep If II
wanted 10. The bed becomes q hateful
rather than pleasant object.
Somewhere in the progress toward
adolescence the nature OF sleep changes
and the growing youth or maiden hates
to get up in the morning. Almost in
esitahly the child fights going to sleep.
as Is shown by almost all the tape
records In DR.. Sherman's collection 70
date.
A MOTHER basic problem which viii
be taken up next Fan in co-opera-
ton with a physician Of the children's
Bureau viii be that Of the metabclism
OF children. or the rate of the process
OF physical Twins, Especial attention
viii be devoted 70 glandular conditions
OF children and their relations to the
development of mental life. Practically
nothing Is known about these things
To-Day. The studies that have been
made have used adults as subjects
Iney have resulted IN some faSctnating
ana important discoveries, But who
knows that what applies 10 adults ap-
plies also to childrene Who knows that
the infant mind Is affected IN the same
way as the adult mindg
some progress ALREADY has been made
IN the Study OF the formation Of the
food habits OF children, The subjects
are watched carefully IN the little lunch
room. where at taStefully decorated and
arranged tables they eat their meals,
Almost overnight little gtrl develops
y dislike for some article os food and
refuses To eat It. whys
It seems obvious that II Is not a
purely physical development, There Is
a social factor involved which needs
intensive study The Importance of this
can readily be appreciated IN the aver
Age home. where II Is necessary IN order
TO fellow out the diet prescribed BY the
pediatriSt 10 make the little ones eat
spinach and carrots and take cod liver
oil. The curious fact, often observed,
- thAt there Is no mhorn dislike TOR
any or these things, The whole pENe-
lem pfuhahly hinges on the manner IN
which they are presented. the way they
nt into the cAildS developtng social
pattern,
The mother who presents her child
with spoonful Of cod liver oil, accom-
panied by such soothing words IS Nov,
darling. please take the hogrid stun for
hardly can be SURPRISED when
the enid positiNelS ieEuNez 10 A-eept
the stun, she has put into his mind
the impression that there IS something
wrong with 1t; that Il is socially proper
10 dislike II, Probably the dislike has
no ether basis whatsoever In any
event. this Is one Of the things pr,
sherman and his associates want y
determine TOR = certainty.