Evening star., 1941-07-20
Brain Injury Danger
Is Too Great in Ring,
Health Leader Says
Promoted as Recreation,
Game Is Helpful, Army
Director Contends
BY JOSEPH A. RAWLINGS,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

BY JtStpH a, hAWLlNGS,
Associated Press Sports Writer.
CHICAGO, July 10. - Would
Americas fighting men be able to
fight better if they stopped fight
ing with boxing gloves?
This question brought an empha-
tic yes from DR.. Arthur H. Stein
haus, physiology professor OF
George Williams college and an
equally emphatic no from 1t.
Ralph HauenStein of Fort Sheridan,
III.
DR.. Steinhaus is vice chairman Of
the health division of the American
Association for Health, Physical
Education and Recreation. 1t.
Hauenstein is organizer of the box
ing program at Fort Sheridan.
The dispute is over the hidden
brain damage which a hard punch
may do and whether this criticism
applies fairly to Army boxing.
DR.. Steinhaus said that there is
danger of developing the well
known punch drunkenness and
also emotional disturbances from
boxing brain injuries. These are in
sidious, he said, because the i'll ef-
fects which frequently result are
not always apparent at the time
of injury.
Held Harmful to Aviators
He condemned the sport as "the
American curse, ineXcusably espe-
cially for men training for the fly
ing corps" and recommended its
elimination from Army camp activi-
ties. He joined with DR.. Ernest
Jokl, head of the department of
physical education at WitWaters-
rand, Johannesburg, South Africa,
who made a similar recommended
ton for British flyers, declaring he
knew of two unexplained air
crashes with fatal results concern
ing we'll known boXer-pilots.
DR.. Steinhaus' view was described
by 1t. Hauenstein as "far-fetched."
I'm the first place" he said, there
Is nothing mandatory about the box
Ing program-at least not at Fort
Sheridan. It's on purely voluntary
basis.
There is no better way know to
teach muscle coordination which is
important because military maneu-
vers call for every form of physical
activity.
More important, however, is box
ing's recreational value-its morale
building-not only for the boxers.
but for the spectators. The men
want boxing. and when you give
them the kind of entertainment
they enjoy, they are less likely to
go out to camp to look for other
forms-and get into trouble.
Our first tournament attracted
1900 men. A dance drew only TOO
or 300.
Because of the morale building
factor alone, boxing should be eX-
panded-not eliminated. The chance
of getting hurt is not nearly as great
as it is to get knocked silly for life
by an automobile outside camp, nor
any greater than it would be in a
baseball game.
The men don't take half the
bumps in three-round boxing bout
that they would in football game
at least they don't in the way we
conduct the matches.
Don't Let Men Get Hurt.
"We don't let the men get hurt.
Even a scratch is enough to stop
the match. These bouts are not like
grueling 10-round professional fights,
but are for three rounds only, under
A. A. U. rules. The men are given
four weeks preliminary work. They
are carefully examined by physicians
and their instructors are all men
who, in civilian life, had wide ex-
perience in boxing"
DR.. SteinhauS said his obServa-
tions were based on his own studies,
DR.. Jokyls conclusions and report
made in 1910 by a University of
Illinois committee which recon-
mended that boxing be excluded |
from the sports programs of edu-
cational institutions.
probably no hard head blow" DR.. |
Steinhaus said, lis taken without |
some injury to the brain, and each |
little injury makes its contribution !
to the final result-punch-drunken-
ness. with its symptoms of deteriora-
ton in the ability to concentrate, |
loss of memory, impeachment of |
speech and unsteady gait.
Even a single injury, if serious |
enough, will cause the same effect. |
The boxer doesn't have to be knocked |
out. Each time a small part of the
brain is destroyed, and the brain |
does not regenerate.
Dizziness and other symptoms |
may not be so serious in themselves, |
but the results, later on, are likely |
to have perment effect on the vic
TINS fined intellectual processes. We |
actually are making our soldiers
less effective through boxing.
"One doesn't. for example, prac-
tice jumping out Of windows to
strengthen ones legs, and the risk
is greater than any value developed. |
Pilots in particular need all their
senses-all the time"