Apbil 2, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



529 



of their work was the development and 

 maintenance of health. "A sound mind 

 in a sound body" — this is an old battle 

 cry— means a healthy mind in a healthy 

 body. Some of our oldest directors have 

 taken this position, though forced by cir- 

 cumstances and by training to rely al- 

 most wholly upon physical exercise for the 

 accomplishment of their objects. These 

 men have felt that physical instruction is 

 bigger than physical exercise, and that 

 physical exercise can not alone secure the 

 desired effects on health. They have felt 

 that physical instruction is concerned 

 with physical health; that physical health 

 is fundamental to normal physiological 

 activity, whether that activity be ex- 

 pressed as locomotion, circulation, respira- 

 tion, digestion, cerebration or any other 

 organic function. We know that the phys- 

 ical health of the human body depends 

 upon the health of the tissue cells of which 

 the human body is composed. The health 

 of these cells depends absolutely upon 

 their nourishment, their exercise, their 

 rest, the proper disposition of their ex- 

 cretions and the other products of their 

 activities, and upon a reasonable freedom 

 from the influence of disease-producing 

 agents. The neglect of any one of the 

 requisites may destroy the good effects of 

 the proper observance of the others. And 

 it follows that the physical health of the 

 human body may be secured and con- 

 served only by the observance of the several 

 fundamental laws that operate in the pro- 

 duction of health in the tissue cells. 

 These laws are concerned with nutrition, 

 excretion, exercise, rest, respiration, 

 cleanliness and protection against disease. 

 Their uniform observance means physical 

 health. The neglect of any one law means 

 failure in the effort to secure and conserve 

 health, even though these other laws may 

 have been properly observed. No man 

 may expect good physical condition and 



consequent health if he sleeps too little, or 

 if he ruins his digestion and thus starves 

 his tissues, or if he takes no exercise, or if 

 he neglects his excretions, or breaks any 

 other of these laws. 



With these facts in mind a considerable 

 number of men interested, feel that a de- 

 partment of physical instruction must 

 teach the theory and develop the practise 

 of these several fundamental laws of 

 health in order to approximate the object 

 for which such a department exists. It 

 can not afford to neglect any one of these 

 fundamental laws and it can not afford to 

 overestimate any one of these laws. 



We find evidences of this conception of 

 the broad scope of physical instruction in 

 many of our colleges. A year ago in the 

 Society of College Directors of Physical 

 Instruction, there were forty members, of 

 whom thirty-two had academic or profes- 

 sional degrees. These thirty-two men 

 have sixty-one degrees. Less than a year 

 ago at the second congress of the Ameri- 

 can School Hygiene Association, Meylan, 

 of Columbia University, reported that 

 thirty-one out of thirty-two college de- 

 partments of physical instruction which 

 replied to his questionnaire were giving 

 courses in hygiene. This means that some 

 of these departments are in the hands of 

 men with academic sympathies, men who 

 are trained medical experts, men who are 

 experienced hygienists; and that these 

 men combine this equipment with that of 

 a practical experience in the technical pro- 

 cedures of gymnasium work. The de- 

 partments under these men are being or- 

 ganized somewhat as follows: First, all 

 students or pupils are in many places re- 

 quired to undergo a medical examination. 

 The tendency of the modern college and 

 high school is to require this examination 

 of all individuals whether they are plan- 

 ning to go into athletic or gymnastic work 

 or not. In most colleges opportunities for 



