SEASONAL CHANGES

Hokitika Guardian, 20 September 1933, Page 8

SEASONAL CHANGES

AND EFFECTS UPON MANKIND

CHANGES IN HEMISPHERES

AUCKLAND, September 18

All explanation of eases of' indifferent performances‘"by athletes touring in another hemisphere was given by Professor A. B. Fitt, professor of education at the Auckland University Colin an address on the physical and mental effects of changing a person’s hemisphere. The speaker dealt with the seasonal influence upon man’s activities, and pointed out that the study was relatively new. It had been shown, however, that man swung with the seasons in his mental and physical abilities, as did the rest of life, and the speaker had made a comprehensive study of the subject in Melbourne 15 years ago. Children, for instance, were found to increase in height substantially in the early spring, or the transition from winter to spring, but their important increase in weight was in the autumn and winter. The highest mental functions were in the autumn and winter. A tendency toward instability in what' was called the “spring crisis” had been noted, in that there was less accuracy "if greater'speed in mental functions at that time.

Alter Professor Fitt had explained a series of slides showing physical and mental trends in "accordance ; with, "the seasons, he said adults were influenced in' vhnous' ways by seasonal changes. The reorganisation of organic forces in spring showed the period to-he a critical one. The subject.' necessarily aroused speculation as to what 'would happeh to a man going from ;, the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern. The facts suggested that the organism did not adapt itself the influence of the seasons in the other hemisphere for perhaps a year. Professor Fitt cited the performances of the Australian and English cricket ; teams over a ' considerable period of years. There was aihple evidence 'of Australian teams visiting England, or English' teams visiting Australia, experiencing what would be the normal “spring crisis” in their, own hemisphere, a circumstance which ..was reflected in performances by a tendency to collapse. The home, team had an advantage over the visitors in that manner, as results in general showed. The surprise of some American runners at indifferent performances when they were racing in New Zealand was not remarkable, -tile speaker said, when it was considered that the athletes, at the time of the events, were experiencing what would be their “spring crisis” in the Northern Hemisphere. Similarly, the New Zealand runner R. .A. Rose experienced , a lapse- from form when he went to Europe for the purpose of running against Paavo Nurmi. On the other hand, -T. E l . Lovelock. the New Zealander who recently established a world’s mile record, had j been in the Northern Hemisphere a .sufficiently long time to get used to the energy cycle there; It was mote than getting acclimatised. Olympic Games were ordinarily held about August, and •no Southern Hemisphere man could do so well in that monMi, which wag a critical ‘one for him. If Olympic Games ‘were held in the Southern Hemisphere in the latte summer, different results ’ .would be expected.