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GIRLS' SCHOOLS, GAMES, AND NEURASTHENIA.
329 time-table of the modern girls’ school to reflect upon and to assimilate the knowledge she herself possesses ? There should be an opportunity afforded and encouragement given for rest and introspection or to converse about general matters, but the moment class work is over the public and high school girl is driven compulsorily to the THE HEALTH OF THE FRENCH ARMY. playing fields to practise games which do not in themselves The Paris correspondent of the Times, in a letter published supply a training for all the muscles of the in that journal on Jan. 28th, states that the report on the body, and this undue, indeed 7vic7ted, devotion to pointlesa health of the French army for 1909 compares somewhat athleticism produces "gregariousness" rather than selfunfavourably with the corresponding report for the British reliance. The violent games, such as hockey and football, army. The report shows that since 1902 there has been a cricket, and even golf, especially when carried to such an steady increase of sickness among the troops, and that the excess, are responsible for the " insurgency" of the modern maximum figure was reached in 1908. The effective strength girl against domestic responsibilities and the common duties of the French army for 1910 is 27,995 officers and 552,959 of life; moreover, they tend to make the body a motor The proportion of men classed as " constantly sick " machine rather than the expression of a healthy and refined men. to increase. The " figures are regarded as a striking mind. tends I know there is a widespread and increasing discontent on argument in favour of calling up for service only the most able-bodied elements among the population." part of thoughtful parents with the modern system of the absolute separation of games and class-work. I maintain, as an alienist having some experience of the failures of the schoolmaster and schoolmistress, that the great drawback of the teaching of to-day is the revival of the mediaeval belief in the separability of mind and body, which is responsible for the bifurcation of educational aims and the consequent " Audi alteram partem." direction of educational methods towards the physical
development of the Trinity College contingent the formation of an additional infantry company was recently approved by the War Office. Considerable satisfaction is felt in higher military circles in regard to the progress made by this contingent of the Officers Training Corps.
hourly
sufficiently
the
Correspondence.
development of the body on the one hand and towards mental AND NEURASforcing on the other, there being no attempt made to establish GIRLS’ SCHOOLS, GAMES, a proper coordination of the different branches of "knowledgeTHENIA. material." This practice is due to the failure of academical teachers of pedagogy to contemplate the boy or girl from To the Editor of THE LANCET. the proper biological standpoint. The keynote of educaSIR,—I want to enlist your sympathy towards an aspect know-on this conception, from the nursery onwards, is of the prevention of "nerves"which, I am sorry to know, tion, of is each movement the assobody It goes without ing through doing " ; is gaining ground among our best girls. and should be ciated with a mental state, exercise an saying that the greatest of all national questions is the train- adjunct to the cultivation of the mind, not an end in itself. mind and of the of the instruction ing body young through If the present mental lukewarmness of girls towards the and exercise, so that the work in the school may create a of housekeeping, the care of infants, the true general state of healthy .mindedness"" for later life, and principles instincts of and civic duties is to be changed, fit the child in the manner thus best possible for the domestic, the wild cultmotherhood, of athleticism by girls and the congested and social, and economic conditions of its subsequent career. continuous for them without a moment’s time-table prepared all that it is the essence of educaWe appreciate the fact tion to promote the development of moral character and to spare time from bed-rising to bed-retiring must be abandoned or extensively It is a fact that excessive modified. use the facts of human knowledge during school life, so that devotion to is the cause of much of the mental restgames school experience may not only conduce to an ethical the rush frantic towards " What shall we do negt 2" lessness, that the mind may also accommodate the upbuilding, but growing discontent and the inaptitude for work in many girls, itself to the intellectual and social requirements of the afraid of nothing, now return from school who, formerly to which the child is belongs. My purpose particular group not to dispute the views of the schoolman or school woman to their homes not as the finished article, but mentally numb as to the disciplinary advantage of the humanities and and cold from a lack of resourcefulness and self-confidence. Greek, (admittedly for the elite of schoolboys only) in school Such states of mind and body carve the way for the worst type of "nerves"or neurasthenia, and they create in addieducation, or to discuss the value of linguistic teaching for tion those morphological characters described as thecricket This has the requirements of modern life and thought. the "hockey walk," and the "golf stride," or the stoop," of the head already engaged the lay press during period "football roll "I masters’ and mistresses’ congresses, but as a student of I need only quote the following from the Times of Jan. 3rd states I have and of morbid mental another psychology and a more serious quarrel with the educationists of to-day, There is probably no game which affords a greater than golf for all possible forms of nervousness, and I think high medical opinion is with me. Mainly scope not only for sheer terror, but for every conceivable foolish my quarrel is with those who have the care and educathe properly concentrated frame of tion of our girls, and whilst acknowledging that broadly fancy which can impair and a fortiori this is true of the more intense and mind," speaking the materials of instruction for both sexes are energetic games. The bodily changes referred to above are of two kinds-viz., those which, owing to their uncertainty an environment of undue athleticism, and they and want of exactness (history and literature) demand caused by a also in mental characters, so that the gentle-the exercise of caution and judgment in comparing prob- imply change the aesthetic beauty, and the refinement of our homeness, abilities, and those others (mathematics and the natural life are doomed to disappear unless this I curse " is modified, sciences) which deal with what is precise and certain-thus and I feel that their that something is wrong producing a more exact and definite exercise of the reasoning comes none too soonIwarning sign powers ; it is not this "knowledge-material " which I call I am, Sir, yours faithfully, into question, but the method of imparting it to the growing ROBERT JONES, ROBERT 1911. M.D. Lond. Lond. Jan. 23rd, JONES, M.D. Claybury, individual by a practically continuous time table at school which now covers every available hour of the day. The human being is an organism with many-sided facets NODULAR FIBROMYOSITIS. and capable of reacting to diverse stimuli. Healthy-minded To the Editor of THE LANCET. boys and girls are strongly predisposed to react to these but must should there be a of like to corroborate and accentuate all that, rest for reconstruction stimuli, SIR,-I period - katabolism must alternate with anabolism. Young, people has been said regarding this malady in the excellent and find a pleasure in exercising their bodily and mental func- helpful article by Dr. Telling in your issue of Jan. 21st. tions, and the joy of activity excites curiosity, which Writing solely from the position of an ordinary practitioner, I enlarges the mental outlook, adds vividness and gives fulness can positively assert that it will well repay any one in practice and colour to the mental content. Such a fundamental to make a study of this condition and a systematic search for response to stimulus necessitates for the pupil a period of these nodules in all cases of muscular pains. The disease Dr. Telling repose wherein to reconstruct and analyse the knowledge it is not sufficiently well recognised. For example, now an enthusiast and an authority, says in the scheduled is the But where himself, evidently opportunity possesses. "
"
"
I
development of the Trinity College contingent the formation of an additional infantry company was recently approved by the War Office. Considerable satisfaction is felt in higher military circles in regard to the progress made by this contingent of the Officers Training Corps.
hourly
sufficiently
the
Correspondence.
development of the body on the one hand and towards mental AND NEURASforcing on the other, there being no attempt made to establish GIRLS’ SCHOOLS, GAMES, a proper coordination of the different branches of "knowledgeTHENIA. material." This practice is due to the failure of academical teachers of pedagogy to contemplate the boy or girl from To the Editor of THE LANCET. the proper biological standpoint. The keynote of educaSIR,—I want to enlist your sympathy towards an aspect know-on this conception, from the nursery onwards, is of the prevention of "nerves"which, I am sorry to know, tion, of is each movement the assobody It goes without ing through doing " ; is gaining ground among our best girls. and should be ciated with a mental state, exercise an saying that the greatest of all national questions is the train- adjunct to the cultivation of the mind, not an end in itself. mind and of the of the instruction ing body young through If the present mental lukewarmness of girls towards the and exercise, so that the work in the school may create a of housekeeping, the care of infants, the true general state of healthy .mindedness"" for later life, and principles instincts of and civic duties is to be changed, fit the child in the manner thus best possible for the domestic, the wild cultmotherhood, of athleticism by girls and the congested and social, and economic conditions of its subsequent career. continuous for them without a moment’s time-table prepared all that it is the essence of educaWe appreciate the fact tion to promote the development of moral character and to spare time from bed-rising to bed-retiring must be abandoned or extensively It is a fact that excessive modified. use the facts of human knowledge during school life, so that devotion to is the cause of much of the mental restgames school experience may not only conduce to an ethical the rush frantic towards " What shall we do negt 2" lessness, that the mind may also accommodate the upbuilding, but growing discontent and the inaptitude for work in many girls, itself to the intellectual and social requirements of the afraid of nothing, now return from school who, formerly to which the child is belongs. My purpose particular group not to dispute the views of the schoolman or school woman to their homes not as the finished article, but mentally numb as to the disciplinary advantage of the humanities and and cold from a lack of resourcefulness and self-confidence. Greek, (admittedly for the elite of schoolboys only) in school Such states of mind and body carve the way for the worst type of "nerves"or neurasthenia, and they create in addieducation, or to discuss the value of linguistic teaching for tion those morphological characters described as thecricket This has the requirements of modern life and thought. the "hockey walk," and the "golf stride," or the stoop," of the head already engaged the lay press during period "football roll "I masters’ and mistresses’ congresses, but as a student of I need only quote the following from the Times of Jan. 3rd states I have and of morbid mental another psychology and a more serious quarrel with the educationists of to-day, There is probably no game which affords a greater than golf for all possible forms of nervousness, and I think high medical opinion is with me. Mainly scope not only for sheer terror, but for every conceivable foolish my quarrel is with those who have the care and educathe properly concentrated frame of tion of our girls, and whilst acknowledging that broadly fancy which can impair and a fortiori this is true of the more intense and mind," speaking the materials of instruction for both sexes are energetic games. The bodily changes referred to above are of two kinds-viz., those which, owing to their uncertainty an environment of undue athleticism, and they and want of exactness (history and literature) demand caused by a also in mental characters, so that the gentle-the exercise of caution and judgment in comparing prob- imply change the aesthetic beauty, and the refinement of our homeness, abilities, and those others (mathematics and the natural life are doomed to disappear unless this I curse " is modified, sciences) which deal with what is precise and certain-thus and I feel that their that something is wrong producing a more exact and definite exercise of the reasoning comes none too soonIwarning sign powers ; it is not this "knowledge-material " which I call I am, Sir, yours faithfully, into question, but the method of imparting it to the growing ROBERT JONES, ROBERT 1911. M.D. Lond. Lond. Jan. 23rd, JONES, M.D. Claybury, individual by a practically continuous time table at school which now covers every available hour of the day. The human being is an organism with many-sided facets NODULAR FIBROMYOSITIS. and capable of reacting to diverse stimuli. Healthy-minded To the Editor of THE LANCET. boys and girls are strongly predisposed to react to these but must should there be a of like to corroborate and accentuate all that, rest for reconstruction stimuli, SIR,-I period - katabolism must alternate with anabolism. Young, people has been said regarding this malady in the excellent and find a pleasure in exercising their bodily and mental func- helpful article by Dr. Telling in your issue of Jan. 21st. tions, and the joy of activity excites curiosity, which Writing solely from the position of an ordinary practitioner, I enlarges the mental outlook, adds vividness and gives fulness can positively assert that it will well repay any one in practice and colour to the mental content. Such a fundamental to make a study of this condition and a systematic search for response to stimulus necessitates for the pupil a period of these nodules in all cases of muscular pains. The disease Dr. Telling repose wherein to reconstruct and analyse the knowledge it is not sufficiently well recognised. For example, now an enthusiast and an authority, says in the scheduled is the But where himself, evidently opportunity possesses. "
"
"
I