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Show Pre Natal Influence of Nat co-Stimulants By Prof. J. E. Hickman, A. M., Head of Normal School, B, Y. College Tho effects of alcoholic beverages upon tho usors as well as their offspring off-spring have been variously studied by many wrltors, but tho effects of tho milder narco-stlmulnnts (tea, coffoo and tobacco) havo been given very little attention. Tho writer undertook un-dertook to discover what effects, If any, narco.stlmulants havo upon tho users and tholr offspring. Does the ono stimulant havo more effect than another? Does tho use of ono of, moro than ono manifest any measurable measur-able difference In tho offspring of the user. The answer to theso questions ques-tions could be known only through the accurate measurements and a studied analysis of tho data obtained. Tho writer studied 306 families. In these families wero 2,630 children. This gave a total of 3,142 persons. Six hundrod and twenty wero high school students who were carefully measured mentally and physically. With tho aid of Dr. McGregor the Investigator In-vestigator examined the eyes, ears, teeth, throat, heart, lungs, stomach, kldnoys, nervous condition, sovero sickness, appetites, etc. Tholr weight, height, oge, mentnl standing (In tho Murdock Academy, Beaver, Utah) was obtained, also tho length of tlmo It took them to graduate from tho public schools. Of tho other 2,522 only tho death rato nnd abnormalities abnormali-ties mental nnd physical were ob tained. 1 The children wero divided Into eight classes according to the habits of tTfo parents: total abstainers (A); using caffelno (coffee) once a diy (B); twice a day (C) ; threo or tour times a day (D); caffeine onco a day end nicotine (E); caffelno twice a day, and nicotine (F); caffelno three or four times a day, also nicotine (G); caffeine nicotine and alcohol (H). Tho abstainers' children graduated on an average from tho district school in seven nnd a half years; thoso from ;, caffeine users In olght years, while those coming from families who used not only caffelno and nlcotlno but nl- o alcohol graduated In eight and a half years. Of tho 360 families only soven of them used alcohol 03 a bev-erago bev-erago so tholr children had llttlo In-lluonco In-lluonco upon tho average tlmo In graduating. Tho children of class A 'abstaining parents) wste on an a'nrngo 7 per cent higher Intellectually Intellectu-ally In the Academy than tho children chil-dren from tho narco-stlmulant class. .Though thoy showed to bo 7 por cent brighter, thoy wero on an average, also, seventeen months youngor. This 9 would Indicate an Intellectual difference differ-ence Btlll greater. The records revealed re-vealed the fact that tho children from the nnrco- classes dropped out of school twlco as rapidly as the students stud-ents from tho abstaining families, and that, as a rule, by their own choice. The students from class A wero superior in all measurement physical, physic-al, mental and vital to those of cIbbs B, or to thoso whoso one parent used caffelno onco a day; whllo cIsbs 1) wero superior In nearly all of the twonty .measurements to class C. Class C wero superior to class D, and In turn, class D wero superior to those of class E In most of the twenty measurements. meas-urements. But tho children of class P the group whose parents used'' caffeine once a day and one parent used tobacco to-bacco were on an average, Inferior In every measurement to class E and as families Increased the use of caffeine caf-feine and nicotine their children became be-came more Inferior. The children of class H were equally Inferior to all other classes. Of the 2530 children only three were Idiots or deformed and two of them came from the soven alcoholic families and the other one came frrom the caffeine class. Tho examinations showed that the abstainers sons wero 1.43 Inches taller tall-er and 5.11 pounds heavier than the sons of tho narco families, whllo the girls were 1.00 Inches taller and 6.3C pounds heavier than the girls of the narco stimulant class. Though the abstaining parents were tlio samo ago as the narco parents, yet 72 per cent more of the children of the latter had died than of the abstainers children. Only 49 per cent of the abstaining families lost children while C5 per cent of the caffelno caf-felno families and 79 per cent of the caffeine nicotine alcohol class lost children. This Increased death rate can not be attributed to drunken mothers mo-thers (nono used alcohol) neglecting their children, or to poor mothers lenving tholr children while they went to work, because about 99 per cent of tho people own their own homes. Nor can tho dlffcronco bo due to crowded centers, for all live In mere villages or hamlets nnd theso settlements settle-ments nro in high, dry altitudes In Southern Utah where tho altitudes range from 4500 feet to 8000 feet above sea level. The record Indicated that the death rate was 41 per cent higher among the narco stimulant parents than among the abstaining parents. The eyes and ears of the 620 students stud-ents were carefully tested and the results showed that 10 per cent of the abstaining offspring were slightly slight-ly detective In hearing while 28 per cent 01 mo narco ciw " v. normal. Seventeen -per cent of class A and 53 per cent of the narco classes had defective vision. r Summing up all tho ailments In bo two classes, It was found that 48 por cent of class A had some physfcal nllment whllo 84 per cent of tho nnrco nnr-co offspring showed physical defects. de-fects. Defects Increased With Time A word as to tho results of tho second sec-ond nnd third examinations: Of tho 209 who wero oxamlnod tho second nnd third time, tho only record kept was that concerning tholr physical conditions, and this record was compared com-pared with tho first ono. It was shown that physical ailments wore Increased In somo nnd decreasing In others. Tho records Indicate that In tho offspring of tho abstaining class 40 per cmt of them had somo new phBlcal dofwt not noted at tlio llrst examination tho year before P,U St rer con showed nn Improvement over their previous condition. Wo may In-for In-for In a general way, that 20 per cont of this class havo developed (over and iibovo tho decreaso) physical phys-ical defects whether pormanont or tompornry tlmo only can tell. Tho offspring of tho narco stimulant stimu-lant parents gavo C3 per cent of nuw Ailments not detected at first examination, exam-ination, but only 9 per cent Indicated Indicat-ed an Impiovcment over former con- dltlons. The Increase of physical ell-ments ell-ments was much more rapid In this class and the decreaso of former complaints com-plaints was very much less. If this condition be a type of the two classes then a future examination would probably pro-bably reveal a greater physical difference, dif-ference, for the second and third examinations ex-aminations gave a greater difference between the two classes than was shown at the first one. For then tho narco group had 2C.5 per cent more ear, 70.5 per cent more eye defects and 36 per cent more physical ailments ail-ments (other than eye and ear) than had the abstaining group. There Is a kinship between the Increased physical phys-ical ailments and the death rate of the two classes. Tho records show tho offspring of tho narco stimulant dlod through all the years from birth to the age of thirty, whllo none of the abstainers offspring died after they were eighteen years ot ago. Tho data la too meager to venture a definite def-inite conclusion but the indications are sufficient to propound a question ot much Importance and that In: Does physical decay go on more gradually gradual-ly and more rapidly In this class and as a result Is the nar generation shorter lived than thi abstaining group? The findings of this thesis may he briefly tabulated as follows: 1. Offspring from abstaining par-onts par-onts as a rule, live longer, are taller, heavier, healthier and more Intellectual. Intellec-tual. 2. The Increased use ot caffeine In parontago proportionately deceased tho physical and mental traits ot tho offspring. 3. Wherever parents used both caffelno caf-felno nnd tobacco, their children, on an average wero Inferior to thoso ot caffelno parentago In nearly all ot tho eighteen measurements. 4. Tho death rato of chlldron In narco families was 72 per cent greater great-er than In abstaining families. C. Flfty-ono per cent of tho abstaining abstain-ing famllcs lost no children; 38 per cent lost no children where ono narco stimulant was used; 21 per cent lost no chlldron where thero was nn Increased In-creased uso of narco stimulants. 6. There was a higher death rnto among narco stimulant parents ot tho samo ago than among tho abstainers. 7. Tho children in tho high school from abstaining families, woro on an average sovonteen months youfigor than thdBo of tho narco class yet thoy ranked 7 por cont higher In tholr studies. Scientific Tomperanco Journal. |
