Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 28.djvu/625

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HEALTH AND SEX IN HIGHER EDUCATION.
607
Name of College. Sex distinction. Date of
organiza-
tion.
Total
number of
female
graduates
to 1882
inclusive.
Number
of returns
received.
Percent-
age of
returns
received.
Boston University Co-educational. 1873 47 29 61·70
Cornell University Co-educational. 1868 80 36 45·00
Kansas, University of Co-educational. 1866 36 20 55·56
Mass. Institute of Technology. Co-educational. 1865 5 3 60·00
Michigan, University of Co-educational. 1841 87 46 52·87
Oberlin College Co-educational. 1833 104 39 37·50
Smith College Females only. 1875 90 43 47·78
Syracuse University Co-educational. 1871 65 17 26·15
Vassar College Females only. 1865 540 344 63·70
Wellesley College Females only. 1875 110 71 64·55
Wesleyan University Co-educational. 1831 15 6 40·00
Wisconsin, University of Co-educational. 1849 111 51 49·95
All colleges . . . . . 1,290 705 54·65

For purposes of comparison, the value of the statistics is vitiated by the fact that the date of the admission of women is not given, and this, in the cases of the co-educational college, does not agree with the date of organization. Other facts, which we omit, go to show that the average date of admission, Oberlin being Excluded, may be safely put at about 1870.

The questions involved in the inquiry were exceedingly comprehensive, and may conveniently be considered under three heads, of which the first takes up the conditions of childhood, comprehending date of birth, nationality of parents, surroundings in childhood, amount of exercise received between the ages of eight and fourteen, the age at which study began, the age at entering college, and the age at graduation. The second section relates to individual health, and comprehends physical condition; nervousness; the age at beginning of the menstrual period; the conditions attending the menstrual periods; the number of graduates reporting disorders; the number of disorders; the number reporting each disorder, and the causes of disorders.

From the broad data thus obtained, the third section, a series of comparison tables, is gathered. Of these one of the most important compares the present health of graduates with the age at beginning study, the age at entering college, the time entering college after the menstrual period commenced, the amount of out-of-door exercise, and hereditary conditions. Another compares the health during college-life with the age at entering, the amount of study performed, the amount of worry about private and college affairs, etc. The first set is thus seen to be occupied with giving a picture of health through life, while the second endeavors to ascertain the changes introduced by college-life, and their causes.

The general features of the tables may be stated as follows: