, 1864-01-06

From the London Lancet, 18Th.
Four or five hours after the termination Of
the fight on the 10Th instant, Heenan arrived
! at a friends house in London. Mr.. J. +.
! Clarke saw him Immediately. He was then
| suffering from great exhaustion. His face
was considerably distigured, and there Tas
! cut on the right side Of the upper lip, about
! half an inch IN length, which required stitch.
There were no bruises Of any CONSEQUENCE
about the body, but there wero fow scratches
| on the chest. The action Of the heart was
very feeble, and the pulse scarcely percept-.
| fble- Suitable medicines were rc5ortoa to,
| under the influence Of which Ae gradually
| improved until the 18th. On the evening Of
that day he had q fainting fit. On the 18th
Pr. Tanner saw him In consultation with
Mr.. Clarke. He was then weak his nights
had been restless, and there was considerable
| uneasiness on taking deep respiration.
On examining him, all marks about the
chest had nearly disappeared, while the
fading The cut in his upper lip had healed.
Tic right uusal bone was loosened from its
articu1ations; but there was no fracture On
carefully practicing auscultation, the hearts
! action was found to be feeble, though there
Was no bruit, the valves acting efficiently.
rathet above 100. The left lung vas healthy;
but over the apex of tho right there was dull
ness, with evident signs Of congestion. On
either side Ut the back of the neck, there was
considerable stiffness, Which was asccrtained
to exist chiefly in the tendinous attachments
lfgan entum nucha, dorsa1 bertebrT, and
spine Of the scapula.
The immense Development Of the muscles
about the shoulders and chest was very re-
markable. They stood ont prominently, and
as little eucumbered with fat Us if they had
beeh cleaned @ hy the scalRsl; s; In tlrmness thy
lions were also apparent il nj the rceti
muscles Of the abdominal wall, the
tendinous intersections (linem trans-
yeren} Of which were strongly marked.
but with all this splendid development 1t was
evident that Hecnan had received shock
from which his system WAS only slowly re-
covering; though whether the loss Of power
was due to the punishment received In the
fight or to the hard trimming which he had
previously undergone, may be disputed
point.
AS psychologists, 1t may seem to us highly
fenged @ and T too G severe. When a Heenan an vent zen:
into trimming on Wednesday, the Esd Of Sep
tember-just II weeks before the match-liis
weight was list. lib. As he stepped into the
ring on the 10th inst, he was exactly list.
At the same time King weighed 13st., though
Heenan, whose height is 6ft. 119in. Those
who know what severe training means will,
pcthape, agree with us TINT Heenan was pro-
bubly in better condition five weeks before
meeting his antagonist than on the morning
of his defeat, although when he stripped for
fighting, the lookers-on all agreed that he
seemed to promise himself an easy victory,
while exulting in his fine proportions md
splendid muscular development:
It is now clearly proved that Heenan went
into the contest with much more muscular
than yital power. Long before he had met
with any severe punishment-indced, Us he
states, at the close ofthc third round-he felt
faint, breathed with much difficulty, mud, Us
he described II, his respiration was roar
ing" lie declares that he received more Sc
did from King; get at the termination Of the
former fight, which lasted over two hours,
lie was SO fresh as to leap over two or three
hurdles, and distance many Of his friends u
the race It was noticed on the present oc-
casiop, that his ptixiYat had dctcriorated, and
that he looked much older than at his last
appearance in the ring.
Without Offering any opinion as to the
merits Of the combatAnts. It Is certain that
Hcenan was In q state Of very detertorated
health when he Elced his opponent, and it is
fair to conclude that deterioration was due
in great measure 10 the severity Of the train
ing which he had undergone. As with the
mind, eo with the body, undue and prolonged
exertion must end in depression Of power.
In the process Of the physical education Of
the young, in the trimming Of our recruits. OF
in the sports Of the athlete, the casc Of Hee-
nan suggests striking commentary Of great
Willie exercise, properly go called, tends to
development and health, excessive cxertion
produces debility aud decay. In these times
Of over excitement and over competition In.
the race of life, the case VIC now put on rec
ord may be studied with advantage.