UNDERWEIGHT CLASSES SHOW GREAT GAINS

Dr. William R. P. Emerson, during his recent visit to Dartmouth, announced that all the underweight classes have shown most gratifying gains. The seriously underweight of the class of 1929, in particular, have shown gains far exceeding expectations.

The 94 members of the class who were seriously underweight in April, and who received notices from Dean Bill with suggestions for gaining, lacked 2112 pounds of average weight for height, somewhat over a ton. In five months, by the time of college entrance, they had gained 759 pounds, an average of 7 1/2 pounds per man.

Not all the men who received notices were able to follow directions, as many of the men were working in the summer and their work was of such a nature as to prevent a gain in weight. One man, for example, earned considerable money which was to be used for college expenses by digging clams. This job necessitated following the tide, sometimes beginning work at 3 o'clock in the morning and rising at a different hour each day.

Since entering college these 94 men, at their latest report, about December 1, have gained 496 pounds more, an average of over two pounds per month. On the whole, this group has made up nearly 60 per cent of the weight they lacked when they entered college. All of these men, with exceptions of two or three, have reported to the Bartlett Hall office and have either been enrolled in regular nutrition classes or have been following the program by themselves, checking at regular intervals.

The following table shows the percentage results of weighing based on the gymnasium weights, taken from Dr. Bowler's department, and also those of the class of 1928: 1929 1928 Obese 2 3 Safety weight zone 54 42 Borderline 24 25 Seriously underweight 20 30 The class of 1929 had only 20 per cent of its entering members underweight as compared with 30 per cent the year before. A part of this lower percentage was due to the gains made by those most seriously underweight during the summer previous to entering.

Dr. Emerson, commenting upon the results to date in the underweight class, declared "This accomplishment—a gain of over 1200 pounds in weight by these 94 men—seems to be remarkable because such a gain could not be brought about without an entire change in health habits. Again, health habits cannot be changed without increasing health intelligence. Therefore, the significance of the gain is that they have received a health education that should be of permanent value, by keeping themselves in good condition in the future."

Other members of the class not so seriously underweight have gained an average of seven pounds per man since entering college.