Josephine Langworthy Rathbone (June 25, 1899 – July 3, 1989) was an American physiologist whose research and work involved

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

and relaxation. She taught at

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

from 1930 to 1958, and was a founding member of the

American College of Sports Medicine The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is a sports medicine and exercise science membership organization. Founded in 1954, ACSM holds conferences, publishes books and journals, and offers certif ...

(ACSM).

Early life

Josephine Langworthy Rathbone was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and raised in

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...

, the daughter of Henry Bailey Rathbone and Floy Pearl Langworthy Rathbone. As a child, she published ''The Mardean Review,'' a neighborhood newsletter, with her younger brother. She attended

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

, where she survived the

1918 Influenza pandemic The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, H1N1 subtype of the influenz ...

, and studied psychology with

Eleanor Gamble Eleanor Acheson McCulloch Gamble (March 2, 1868 – August 30, 1933) was an influential American psychologist from the late 19th century through the early 20th century. Gamble published most of her work on audition and memory influenced by Georg ...

. She earned a bachelor's degree in zoology in 1921, a teaching certificate in 1922, and a master's degree in 1923. In 1936 she earned one of the first doctoral degrees granted in

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. Her doctoral thesis was titled ''Residual neuromuscular hypertension: implications for education''.

Career

Academic career

Rathbone spent a summer at

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI, acronym pronounced ) is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of marine science and engineering. Established in 1930 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, it i ...

, and taught at New Britain Normal School as a new college graduate. She taught hygiene and physical education and coached

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

at Wellesley for five years. She was professor of health and physical education at Teachers College, Columbia University from 1930 to 1958. She emphasized the need for American troops, athletes, and working women to learn and practice relaxation techniques for better health and performance. At Columbia she ran a relaxation clinic, treating patients for whom relaxation was prescribed but difficult, and introduced ideas from

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

into physical therapy work. She was later on the faculty at

Springfield College Springfield College is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. The institution's mission, called the Humanism, Humanics philosophy, calls for educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service ...

in Massachusetts, from 1959 to 1980.

Writing

She wrote a popular textbook in her field, ''Corrective Physical Education'' (1934), and ''Recreation in Total Rehabilitation'' (1959, with Carol Lucas). She also wrote books for a general readership, including ''Health in Your Daily Living'' (1948, with Frank S. Rathbone) and ''Teach Yourself to Relax'' (1957). "In this chaotic world, with its widespread political and economic experimentation," she wrote in the opening lines of another book, ''Relaxation'' (1943), "the human element is threatened as never before. Its goals are indistinct and unsatisfying. It has no sense of security. It is being driven to overexertion in response to the demand for maximum production and all-out effort." She also wrote syndicated newspaper columns on relaxation in the 1950s.

Organizations

Rathbone and her husband were founders of the Federation of Sports Medicine in 1954. The organization soon changed its name to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). She was awarded the ACSM's highest honor in 1974, to mark the twentieth anniversary of its founding. She served a term as vice-president of the

American Physical Therapy Association The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is an American individual membership professional organization representing more than 100,000 member physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy. The nonpr ...

in the 1930s. She was also a fellow of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (AAHPRD), and served on national committees of the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

and American Physical Education Association.

Personal life

Rathbone married fellow physiologist Peter V. Karpovich in 1945. Karpovich died in 1975.; Springfield College Archives and Special Collections. Josephine L. Rathbone died in 1989, aged 90 years. Her papers, including a memoir "My Twentieth Century", are held at Springfield College.

Works

References

External links

A video of a lecture on relaxation by Josephine Rathbone
probably from the 1970s; at the Springfield College Digital Collections.
A tribute video about Rathbone
from the American College of Sports Medicine; on YouTube. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rathbone, Josephine Langworthy 1899 births 1989 deaths American physiologists American women physiologists Teachers College, Columbia University faculty Wellesley College alumni Wellesley College faculty Central Connecticut State University faculty Springfield College faculty American women academics YMCA leaders 20th-century American women 20th-century American people