PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ENDURANCE. 



669 



the subjects went to the natatorium and first dived in succession from 

 the springboard, then at a signal dived together into the water. 

 Undoubtedly the men were somewhat stimulated in these tests by their 

 novelty. They certainly showed vim and spirit which seemed almost 

 impossible with a group of men who had been on a restricted diet for 

 so long a time. It has been the consensus of opinion of the many 

 scientists who have seen the projection of these films that the men 

 neither looked nor reacted as if underfed. 



After a long period of extremely low diet it is necessary to know the 

 effect upon not only the metabolism, pulse-rate, blood pressure, and 

 other measurable physiological factors, but to secure, so far as possible, 

 relevant evidence regarding endurance. Much of this evidence must 

 depend upon introspection and upon the comments of the associates 

 of the men in college. Such evidence has already been commented 

 upon in extenso. Although the neuro-muscular tests reported earlier 

 gave information as to the capacity for work under special conditions, 

 and the pedometer records and personal activity records of the men 

 also provided a reasonably accurate index of the total activities of the 

 day, further direct evidence regarding the endurance and the capacity 

 of these men for more or less prolonged effort seemed desirable. 



Certain information as to the physical endurance of the men in 

 Squad A at the end of 4 months of low diet was secured in the motion 



Table 198. — Results of "chinning the bar" lest, Feb. 1, 1918 — Squad A. 



pictures of the ''chinning the bar" tests. In these, the 11 men were 

 lined up along a bar about 8 feet from the ground and at a signal were 

 required to jump to the bar, catch it, and chin themselves as many 

 times as they could. They were allowed to choose their own tempo in 

 this exercise. The exact time that the men hung on the bar was sub- 

 sequently obtained by running off the film and using the metronome 

 beats to determine the time in seconds. The number of pull-ups was 



