AMERICAN FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 746, 19 February 1910, Page 14

AMERICAN FOOTBALL.

THE KILLED AND INJURED.

A LONG LIST.

"Statistics were compiled a short time ago showing that football' had - been responsible: for 54 deaths.and for 21G cases: of . serious injury during the season up to' date.", .Thus writes an, American ,cor- , respondent, but as he does not give the date we (says the :"Lancet").?do not know; exactly - over how long a. period this'list, of . casualties is, spread.. . But .however long,-it: may be it seems-to us to be appalling. : In 1901 statistics..™ '.regard to, accidents? at! football' .in ;: : the';, Unietd' States were first gathered,- and 'the-casual-ty, list quoted above is the largest since the collection of statistics, and; most prob-, ably the largest ever known. Of the 30 killed, 8 . were college . .students, ■■ 20 were pupils of, high schools,'-and 2 \vere?members of athletic;? clubs?'-'.-'v.. Of 'those :v in-. | ,'j ured, the list /included': 25' inj ured' inters nally, 19 cases of concussion of the brain, 19;. cases'; of. broken ribs, and the same , number >of , dislocated ankles. : . Fifteen, legs- and nine aims were broken, while there was a Jong, and. formidable list of less grave injuries.-When?the fact is taken into consideration that .the length of the football season in tho United States is.'»not. tw.o months,: and ; that' the :game : 'is '.only-, played, by: the jiiniybrsities, colleges, .and. some. of . .the schools, the figures denoting the accidents during the .'past season will { take. onan even. more serious aspect. The'general public of, the .United States: is arohsed at the'recent fatalities,' ' and' demands;.'have come- from all parts of the' country that ' the game as now played be either abolished or reformed in such, a manner - that serious . accidents be renr dored,. if not impossible,, at all events of rate occurrence. A few. universities have given up tho game;. Columbia University, New,-York, -has done'so,-?and. the Board of Education of New Tork has prohib-. ited the playikg of .American, football in the schools under its,control;, The,"New York Medical Record," referring to- the matter in an editorial, December ?4, 1909, recognises- that ■':pnblio ;' sentiment';' ? is strongly ; against: a.;continuance of the game-in its present-, form,..but also, recognises the difficulty of making ohahges which, while preserving the salient features .of the game, will rob'it-of its most dangerous points. A few. years ago alter'ations "were ! introduced - which' it. was theught would -have the.desired.effect. After,-this introduction :'of./these .reforms, for two or. three'seasons?there were-fewer accidents, ;- biif •as --'coaohes;-. and' ' players learned methods?? of: -avoiding ' the new rules fatalities became more,frequent:than before, until in' the, past Reason. they have reached their climax. ."'A /proposition has been advanoed that a rule be adopted to .enable, the'.referoe to order from the field any man whom he deems to bo physically incompetent

-The American of football is . so different from tho games played in Great Britain that there are'ecaroely any points atcomparison, and. therefore it is .very 'difficult for/English readers to comprehend the numerous obstacles, in the way, of a radical and an ; effective Teform. While American, football is strenuousand even brutal, it'is moro soriotisly gio than British football. Football in Great Britain is a game,, and nothing more, leaving outthewagoquostion; football in America is a game to a certain extent; ,'bnt it more olosely, resembles: a stern fight, in which'': both sides leave no stone' unturnbd to win.;."