Underwear-clad University students — six of them — are shivering for science and national defense.
They are subjects in experiments conducted by Dr. Allen Hemingway, assistant professor of physiological chemistry, to determine the warmth-retaining qualities of wool, silk and cotton undergarments of various weave, thickness and design.
These experiments are expected to affect radical changes in both under and outer clothing, especially for soldiers. A $2,000 grant from a Minneapolis underwear company is financing the work, results of which will be turned over to the army quartermaster department.
In the tests six male students are seated in a chill constant-temperature room. Seats of chairs are covered with fish net, providing seating surface without insulating qualities. Body temperature of the students is raised in the cold room by running high frequency currents through their bodies. The current is shut off and the rate of drop in body temperature is measured.
Dr. Hemingway would like to determine whether red flannels are really warmer than white or just seem to be. He does not intend suggesting more adequate protection for the lower extremities of women, however. “Science is not that brave,” he said.