reduce the average of the whole series to such an extent. Careful inquiry as to any hereditary tendency, previous illness and habits in their bearing on the case showed nothing of importance. There was the usual history of children's diseases — measles, whooping cough, and occasionally scarlet fever, later tonsillitis and bronchitis, but convalescence in all were good, with complete recovery. Nearly all smoked cigarettes, but apparently not to any great excess. Two conditions remain which probably influence to a greater or less extent the physical condition of these men, e.g. : 1. Living in crowded localities. 2. Improper food; in other words, poor hygiene and malnutrition. In referring to their places of residence, not here given, it was found that the great majority live in lodging or crowded tenement houses in the neighborhood of the gymnasium, old and poorly ventilated, with little or no sunshine. In the physical development of the growing individual environment is an all-important factor, and certainly these congested districts, with their unhygienic dwellings, must hinder their proper development. Added to this, in many cases, want of proper nourishment, and that many boys are obliged to do manual work before they are physically able, is sufficient to account to a great extent for the lack of development noticed in these cases. The question naturally to be asked is, What can be done to offset these conditions 2 Without doubt, we cannot remedy all these evils, but much can be done to make people healthier, happier, and stronger by systematic exercises in the gymnasia under an instructor, and by advising methods to improve their hygiene. For these reasons alone the public gymnasia become a public necessity. . JAMES B. DONOGHUE, M.D. WARD 9 G-YMNASIUM. To the Bath Trustees, City of Boston : The medical director of the Ward 9 gymnasium begs to submit his report for the year 1902–03. During the year under review I have examined at the Ward 9 gymnasium 130 men and boys; and the measurements of each one were recorded, and the records made have been carefully filed and are kept for reference. Seven men announced themselves as candidates for the civil service examinations for police or fire department. Since the opening of the Ward 9 gymnasium thirty of its members have been before the civil service commission and have passed the examinations. All these men have a sufficiently high mark to give them places well up on the list. . Nineteen of them have been appointed on the police force. and eight on the fire department, which is a reasonably good record for the gymnasium for its first three years. WILLIAM R. WOODBURY, M.D. EAST BOSTON GYMNASIUM. I herewith submit my report to the Boston Bath Commission for season of 1902–1903. Inasmuch as this is my third year as medical director of the East Boston gymnasium, I shall not needlessly burden my remarks by a detailed exposition of the working system or by the repetition of data which may be easily obtained by referring to my report of 1901. I shall merely make some general observations on the progress made by those who have now been under my surveillance for some time. Two years ago, as my report of that time will show, I stated that a general improvement had taken place, even in the course of so short a period as one year, in the health of the majority of those who conscientiously complied with the instructions of the teacher and myself. In some instances, to be sure, when the subject's health was highly precarious as the result of chronic organic derangement or where a deformity of a particularly vicious character existed, one year was too short a time to note or hope for much betterment. Since then, however, a number who had previously been almost hopelessly estranged from health have made, in many instances, truly remarkable progress in regaining it, and others, whose condition was more amenable to direction, have now attained to a state of average health. In the way, too, of deformities, spinal curvatures have steadily improved in most instances. Indeed, I have not come across a single boy who, if only intelligent enough to realize the gravity of his deformity and willing enough carefully to observe the counsel of the instructor and myself, has failed, at least materially, to correct the curvature. In a word, the results of our system, as I have watched its operation during the past two years, have completely borne out the optimistic predictions I made in my last report. But it must not be assumed that my services in the capacity of medical adviser, as well, too, as the use of the shower baths, have been confined to those who regularly attend the classes. On the contrary, an increasingly large number of people call at the gymnasium for the purpose only of bathing, or of obtaining a physical examination and professional advice. A large proportion of these come from outlying . cities and towns, like Chelsea, Revere, Everett, and Malden, where governments do not provide the same facilities as does Boston. * To any one who is in the least acquainted with the present system of public baths and gymnasia it must be evident that, so far as it is adequate to serve an evergrowing community which is coming more and more to take advantage of it, it has more than fulfilled the expectations of those who inaugurated it. So successful, indeed, has the system proved to be that it has almost become an institution, and the Boston School Board has adopted all of its essential features in its evening gymnasium classes. Surely imitation, especially on the part of a scholarly commission, is the sincerest testimony to the worth of what we are doing. It requires personal observation extending over a series of years, however, fully to appreciate the benefit accruing to the community at large. I am now personally acquainted with a great many of the habitués of the gymnasium, and I am sincere when I say that their state of health generally is incomparably better than it was thirty-six months ago, and Boston has without doubt the most highly perfected system of public baths in the world. COMMON WEALTH PARK GYMNASIUM. To the Bath Trustees: Total number examined . & de * o . 175 6 & ** WOmen. to so o * g e 84 ( 6 “ morning class . & e * * 18 € $ “ children . ge e © to so 91 66 “ re-examined so & * . e & 20 6 & “ taking baths only o & * e 38 Number requiring special chest work to c 18 (Number of morning class, 6.) Brought forward o o o Number requiring special spinal work . o (Number of children included, 24.) Number requiring special heart work e e Total o te e Number who consulted medically € $ 66 66 surgically Occupations. Housekeepers . . . . 23 | Saleswomen WARD 9 GYMNASIUM. Number requiring special chest work Total o g e Number who consulted medically 4% 66 & 6 surgically Occupation. Housekeepers . . . . . 71 | Proofreaders HELEN I. DOHERTY, M.D. HELEN I. DOHERTY, M.D. GYMNASIUM INSTRUCTION. To the Bath Trustees: GENTLEMEN, - I here with submit my annual report as director of gymnasium instruction for the year. The work has been along the same general lines as heretofore, and it is with pleasure I affirm that a great advance has been made in the usefulness of our department. The attendance at the municipal gymnasia during the last year was 7,000 a week. This includes men, women, and children of all classes. These people have voluntarily sought improved health and salutary recreations, and all attest the efficacy of the work prescribed in bringing about the ends they desired to attain. The number of beneficiaries would certainly have been much greater had we more adequate accommodations. Hundreds of persons had to be turned away for want of more floor space. That so many people evince a desire to adopt the only rational means of attaining and maintaining good health is indeed a good sign. It implies a growing intelligence among the masses on that all important subject, hygiene. A most painful fact that the student of public health has had to note in the past has been that in this country more patent medicine has been consumed than in any other. But as ignorance recedes before light, the people turn from empiricism to the rational and accepted methods of science in what regards the health, as in everything else. To preserve the public health, which is the basis of all social virtues, is one of the noblest offices that can be performed by individual or government. Therefore it is gratifying to know that Boston, through its public baths and gymnasia, is doing more for its citizens in this respect than any other municipality in America. The system of physical training that has been in vogue in our gymnasia during the last two years has proved highly efficacious in meeting general needs. It has been applied by a corps of instructors to whose commendable efficiency and painstaking efforts success is largely due. The number of persons needing special work, or medical gymnastics, has increased considerably, and their improvement has been very encouraging. We have continued to treat the children with great care, and, in addition to gymnastics best suited to their needs, they have been afforded the diversion of wholesome, pleasurable games. We have been pleased to observe that children who are too young for class-work have been in the habit of visit |