fold of skin several centimeters proximal to the knuckles near the middle of the hand, with the long axis of the fold diagonal (45°) to the longi- tudinal axis of the hand to avoid natural folds of skin. The caliper was allowed to remain closed for exactly 60 sec and then removed, and the time for the skin fold to retract back to the normal skin contour was measured in seconds. The exact end point was sometimesdifficult to measurein older people; if the fold had not retracted completely in . 90 sec, this time measurement was used. 3. The exposed skin of the hands andface was observed for the presence ofsenile changes such as keratoses, nevi, pigmentation, etc. The degree of such Figure 8. Skin calipers used in measuring looseness andelasticity of the skin. 1. Skin looseness.* Preliminary investigation revealed that the skin fold at the junction of the chin and neck was the most satisfactory for the meas- urement of skin Jooseness and also seemed to give the best correlation with age. The measurement was carried out by grasping the skin with the thumb and forefinger, pulling it gently outward, and applyingthe caliper opened to 4 cm so that each leg was firmlyagainst the skin lateral to the fingers. The caliper was then allowed to close by its own spring tension, and the height of the fold of skin impinged was measured in mm onscale C. The elongated ends of the legs impinge on a I-cm? surface of skin and exert a pressure of 500 g. There is little variation in spring tension in the last 2 cm closing range of the caliper. The height ofthe fold represented the degree of skin looseness. The presence of excess fat in the skin probablycaused the readings to err on the lowside, but this was not thought to result in serious error. 2. Skin retraction time.* The back of the hand was found most suitable for measuring theelasticity of the skin. The hand and forearm wereplaced at rest on a table. The caliper was opened to 2 cm (on the crossarm scale) and allowedto close ona *The reltability of the skin looseness and skin retraction time measurements was tested by having two examiners take data on 20 hospital pauents of various ages with the skin calipers. The mean values with their standard deviations were: for skin loaseness in mm, 20.852+0.71 and 20.90+0.70; for skin retraction ume in seconds, 58.2+8.13 and 58.75+8.18. No significant difference was found between the means of the two examiners, who had previously ascertained that their techniques for using the calipers were alike. changewas estimated on a Q to 44 scale: the presence of only an occasional abnormality was scored as 1+, increasing abnormalities raised the score. 4. The degree of greying ofthe hair was expressed on a 0 to 4+ scale as follows: 0, no greying; 14, slight ‘“‘salt and pepper;” 2+, moderate “salt and pepper;” 3+, nearly complete greying; and 4+, complete greying. DOE ARCHIVES 5. The degree of baldness was expressed on a 0 4+ scale as follows: 0, no apparent balding; 1+, slight receding of the hair at the temples; 2+, marked receding of the hair at the temples with some thinning; 3+, marked thinning and baldness; and 4+, baldness complete to a ‘“‘monk’s cap”type. Special Senses. 1. Accommedation* was meas- ured in diopters by use of the Prince refracting rule. The average reading of the two eyes was used. 2. Visual acutty* was measured bySnellen’stest. It was found that use of the square root of the average visual acuity (denominator) of the two eyes made the scale more compressed and more linear. Thus the best vision, 20/10, was repre- sented as 3.2 (the square root of 10) and the worst, 20/200, as 14.1 (the square root of 200), and intermediate readings were similarly recorded. 3. Arcus senilis was esumated on a 0 to 4+ scale. Onlyshght Ihmbic clouding was scored as 14, and increasing clouding raised the score. 4. Hearing* was tested in a tent in a quiet Jocation with a rugged screening-type audiometer.** * The tests were carried out under standardized conditions, but, in view of the necessity of using an interpreter underfield conditions, it was not feasible to repeat them with a different examiner. The data are thought to be suffiaentdy reproducible to be of relative value, although not so accurate perhaps as those obtained under more desirable conditions. "*The authors are grateful to the Armed Services Medical Pro- curement Agency, Fort Totten, N.Y., for loan of the audiometer. I oe we eee we oe eee ee