INFLUENCE OF LOCOMOTION ON THE PLANTAR REFLEX IN NORMAL AND IN PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY INFERIOR PERSONS

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Abstract
The extensor response of the big toe, or the Babinski sign, can in certain persons be induced by physical exertion. This fact is not generally known, even among neurologists. The purpose of this study is to show that the occurrence of a Babinski sign following exertion has a characteristic relation to the type of exertion and to such factors as a history of prenatal and early postnatal developmental abnormalities, influencing the ultimate constitutional organization of the individual. Herein lie, we believe, the important theoretic and practical implications of the "exertion Babinski." OBSERVATIONS Effect of Exertion on the Plantar Reflex in a Group of One Hundred and Sixty-Eight Normal Persons. —The plantar reflex was tested in a group of 168 college students in a Reserve Officers Training Camp before and after a maneuvering exercise. A normal plantar flexor response of the big toe was present in all but 1 of 168