Evening star., 1932-10-24
Health Conference Hears Re-
suits in Study of Sleep
Factors.
CHILDREN REST BEST
DURING WINTER MONTHS
Restlessness Found to Be Indica.
tion of Impending Illness in
Many Juvenile Cases.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Moving pictures excite bcys of all
ages more than girls.
IhlS was one Of the findings Of an
extensive study of the sleep patterns
OF children of all ages with an instru-
ment known as the hypnograph, re-
ported before the American Public
aeaIh Association here today BY DR..
samuel Renshaw of Ohio State Uni
versity.
Other findings were that children of
all ages sleep better in Winter than
Summer, but that girls tend to he
mere restless than boys In warm
weather and that restlessness increases
WIN age DR.. Renshaw also found that
IL sometimes Is possible to forecast an
infectious sickness from sleep move
mehtS from one to three days before
tne child has shown any other synon-
.oils ana that child follows precisely
tne same health pattern, whether nut
70 bed early in the evening or at mid
night a. iAiu-
Inc hypnograph is an electrical in
strument attached to the child's bed
"hlch records automatically every move
Ineht curing the night and when it
takes pace. The number Of movements
determine the degree of restlessness Dr
RenshaW studied ITO children from s To
10 years old through BAT nights. First
ne established child's normal sleep
pattern and then determined the varia-
tlon caused by various factors-such as
excitement or drinking coffee.
Illness Indicated.
He found that there is least movement
Immediately after going to sleep. After
ABOUT an hour activity increases steadily
untl! the child wakes Children from l3
70 10 showed nearly so per cent greater
restlessness in the first hour than those
between and TO- Throughout the en-
tire night, however, the older children
tend to sleep more uniformly, with move
ments fairly well distributed over the
sleeping hours
The coming of illness Renshaw found,
is indicated especially by more move
ment during this early period of deep
sleep. There is also more variation be-
tween quiet and restless periods during
the night
The child put to bed at midnight and
allowed only six hours sleep showed no
deeper slumber during the first hour
and tossed about as much during the
rest of the night. The result of moving
picture experiment, it was explained,
indicates that girls are more phlegmatic
than boys, contrary to the general opin-
ion. It may be, however. that the eff.
fects of excitement are more lasting.
Foundation for serious heart ailments
in latter years may be established
by too hard work or play on the part
of boys. it was reported by DR.. Jerome
Myers to the New York City health de-
partment. He presented results of a
study of the heart beats of 300 work.
ing boys to learn the occurrence, char
acteristics and significance of non
organic. pulmonic systolic" heart mur-,
murs, which. he believes, are warnings
of future trouble
Such murmurs" he said. were
found five times more ferquestly than
those indicating valvular heart dis
ease. They were found more in bows
who were active in athletics or exposed
to occupational strain and in certain
number OF cases disappeared on less
exercise. 1t is felt that such murmurs.
which have been regarded as of no
pathological significance are really
signs of overexertion and danger signals
on the part Of the circulatory system"
Discovers New Type.
During the study, DR.. Meyers said,
he found new kind of delayed sys-
tolic murmur," not previously described
n medical literature. He warned physi-
clans against the possibility Of wrongly
diagnosing heart murmurs as valvular
heart disease, with resulting wrong
treatment and harm to the patient.
The heart disease death rate has
taken another upward jump during the
last six years, Dr. Alfred E. Cohn of
the Rockefeller Institute for Medical
Research told the public health officers.
The rate has been going up steadily
during the present century. he pointed
out, and this is due in part to the fact
that more survive the infectious diseases
of childhood and adolescence to sue
cumb to heart disease after 40. But.
he pointed out, this does not tell the
whole story and the infectious dis
eases themselves may cause hidden
damage to the heart which does not
show up until later life
Approximately 800 public health Off
GERS from all over the country are at
tending the convention, the first general
session of which, in the large ball room
of the Willard tonight, is expected to
be attended by President Hoover, who
is to speak briefly at about 9 pm.
There will be addresses by DR.. William
c. Fowler, District of Columbia health
officer: Surg Gen. Hugh S. Cumming
and District Commissioner Luther H.
Reichelderfer. The main address will
be by DR.. Louis l. Dublin of New York,
president of the association.