Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-05-04
The PRACTICAL Elects 81 PHYSICAL
strata.

ia xhirt, se have repeatedly xllndcd. and
"a xhtrh- In view OF ffSc athletic Gospel
lions To occur sinring the Cenirnaiaa. the
Alteration. sos nnir 0f those In training
for such contests, bHf Of those who favor
ashiegic sports in siI f0rGns, May well he
directed. We mexn disease ind1csd from
physical strain, pliysicsl overwork, N
short, which too often reduces tAs fAsress
specimens Of muscular humanity 60 alb
lect greeks. DIR. Richardson brings 30
The consideration Of this important scpic
q variety OF new thoughts and Suggestions.
and .iaese all tend 20 show, frss, ihxs ex.
cessive physical culture Is useless. and,
second. thAi IL Ii hur1tai. The frsf cues
ton which be places before Us 10; DO
these arts conirSAase % the health and
vitality OF q race. either collectively %
individually: thai il 10 say, are they nee
essary in order that race Eaay obtain fhe
means Of subsistence. and fwssetker neces.
sary o. Unnecessary DO they contribute 10
che longesisy ard SrnaciJy 81 the LIE o.
the usea. or race. through whom or
through which they are rrgrcseuie7dy lie
fra points out ffsAs 81 a natson SO unciy-
iIiz1i as To be- obliged 10 truss 20 In
digiaual furce alone for us means Of life,
no physical culture can be too high nJ TOO
higf.ly rrizsl then be shows thai 10 d
later age, wflrn none but brute power II
ri man s service, the pfszlloEnIn&Dce Of the
physical over the mental faculties Is still
natural. But finally removing the doc
irine Of necessity and separating The inai-
yidusi from the community, the picture
is reversed. There il no evidence any.
where, he asserts, ssai the greater culture
of the physical strength las favored u1e
Longevity Of the individual or ihe vital
tenacity Of race All the observations
handed down ~ rs BY the physicians OF
che Greek Roman, Arabian and Italian
schools. reinforced 81 the vital statistics
OF modern France and Prussia, point IN
suisiak ably 10 the fac; Ina. in each eonns
Try, within liz own population, the value
OF life IL influenced 10 the favorable side
by the reduction 81 physical expenditure.
A most curious instance IL afforded IN the
history a the Jewish race. ia which a. q
pe1ple there has negef been a yeslige OF
studied development Of physical capacity
And yet the broad truth stands foIEA that,
despite centuries of oppression anil SUB
lering, the Jewish ~ the first in vitality
OF ali civilized races. DR.. Kichagdson
gives q quantity % statistical information
supporting this assertion, showing that
the period 0f life among jews ID consid-
erally longer than among 4 like number
OF Christians, and The causes, he says, are
simply stunned up In the term : sober
% 30 - life.
II Il not difficult To find answers % the
question Z" Ia Whit manner does over.
WORK ~ physical Kind iniure Or kilir'
During lite the forces by which the lie Is
manifested are balanced against time.
Tie active animal machine must rest and
recruit, time. an absolute immaicriaiily
flows on INCREASINGLY, destroying as IL
fiOas silently and surely. Again, the
powers of forces 81 the body are limited
by die size and capacity of the organism.
II Tie force put ionli IN q certain period
be gfeater than that which ought 10 be
put i0iiii in that period, the extra force Is
expended 81 the expense " the organism
ftsell, and, by 20 much as is lost IN any
present effort, will be 20 much shortened
10 tie future For the body il not cOnsti.
tute3 10 make up time against the slight
est breath Oi force IL has once lost. Were
IL 30 the problem OF renewal oi Lille would
6e solved
Generally speaking, physical 0yerwoTk
6njurcs BIZ the destruction of those parts
OF the body on which the involuntary acts
Of life depend, namely, the muscles and
nervous structures engaged Ia the diges.
ton Of food, the circulation Of blood ana
The respiration. When these organs fail,
every other portion VI The system depend
cut ON these likewise succumbs. The
particular characteristics Of the changes
induced, aud Of the work itself which In
duees such changes, are by NO means
complicated and such as are noted y DIR.
Richardg0n are well worth examination,
gisae they are the results oi his own mat
Ter Of tsct observation.
The first disease mentioned is anenrism
of the aorta, the large blood-yessel which
3 rises from the left side OF the heart 10 con.
gey afteiial blood 10 the body. lis cause
In a simple mechanical result. The heart
during violent exeriiop las In rowing
spurts). working At high pressure, drives
ahead a current OF blood which, instead
of making 80 course In steady circuit
through the a0rta, IL brought back by con
cussiOn, and fails ike a water hammer at
the place where tie semi lunar valves pre-.
vent Is return 10 the heart. This mechan-
ically Injuries The wall Of the artery,
which loses itselasticiiy, and eventually
The rcsilicni tube becomes passive pouch,
ready ~ give way upon somc extra exer.
ton. a. lei out the contained blood and 80
cause Instant death. In -four cases, the
author has found life terminated In this
way.
The second injury Is wearing out of the
heart This IL common 10 persons who
practice physical cxertions, not violently,
tut persisien,ly The right yentricle OF
the heart, which maintains the circuit OF
blood through the lungs, Is much thinner
than III. yentricle on The left side, which
carties The blood over the body. II this
ventriclc, which drives some ~, $50 lbs. OF
blood in tweniy-four hours, bo oyertaxcd,
IL must necessarily weary and as the
heart not only supplies the rest OF the
body bns also itself with food, IL follows
that, II IL fails 10 supply the body, u fails
90 supply itself. This cnteeblement Is
very gradual II begins TO show itself by
slight difficulties In breathing, susccpti.
bility 10 fatigue, to cold and heat, 10 con.
gestion Of the lungs, and finally 10 actual
organic changes Of the lungs, kidneys, or
nervous ccnters, or congestion OF the
yenous side OF The body, leading to drop
,aical effusion and resulting In death.
4. third disease Is just the reverse oil The
preceding, and Is dus to the heart becom'
ing too powerful. It. muscular structure
in unduIy developed on both sides, It's
stroke Is TOO severe, and, II the nervous
power by which il is governed be MOI pro-