Why? The Science of Athletics

CHAPTER Ill LESSON,S TO BE LEARNED FROM FACIAL EXPRESSION Sculptor of Youth-Effort- Breathlessness-Fatigue– Exhaustion-Analysis of Expression. Sculptor of Youth TowARDS the end of the last century Dr. R. Tait McKenzie, who has become known throughout the world as the Sculp– tor of Youth, began experimenting in relief. At that time, however, his art was entirely separated from his work as Demonstrator and, later, Lecturer in Anatomy at the University of Montreal. He was, however, pleasurably concerned with the training of athletes and the study of the tabulated dimen– sions of athletes. His interest in physical education took him constantly to the local stadium and led, ultimately, to his making a close and exhaustive study of the problem of fatigue in athletes. His scientific observations resulted in the writing of a paper for the Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, in Igoo; entitled "The Facial Expression of Violent Effort, Breathlessness and Fatigue". This thesis he illustrated with a series of masks in crude form, which, after much refinement and development, were ' cast in bronze. Dr. Tait McKenzie's exhaustive study of this problem has provided us with invaluable data in scientific athletic research, because the subject of fatigue and the effect of violent effort is one of the most important that has come up for consideration and investigation. Past generations of sports-goers and even coaches, I suppose, would have found the facial contortions of the athlete labouring under strain amusipg, but without meaning ; but Dr. McKenzie has proved to us how it is 47