Cardiovascular System in Schizophrenia Studied by the Schneider Method

The Schneider test, which purports to afford a measure of cardiovascular "fitness," was elaborated1from a somewhat similar test devised by McCurdy. Its purpose was to aid the flight surgeon in judging the degree of physical fitness of military aviators, particularly in regard to such functional aspects as fatigue, staleness and vasomotor instability. It is reported to have given satisfaction and to be the best test devised in aviation medicine for the measurement of physical fitness and vasomotor stability.2 TECHNIC The test is carried out as follows: The subject first reclines for five minutes. 1. The heart rate is then counted for twenty seconds. When two consecutive twenty second counts are the same, the count is multiplied by 3 and recorded. 2. The systolic pressure is taken two or three times by auscultation and recorded. The subject then rises and stands for two minutes, to allow the pulse