Daily globe., 1879-05-18
Risk of Athletic Work.

And freely given,
TO one as we'll as another!''
Risk of Athletic Work.
What risks, then, does the youth run
who puts in two, three, or more wears at
severe athletics, frequently, either when
practicing ''on time" or in his various
races, dong his very utmost, and coming
in at the end thoroughly exhausted, and
"with nothing left in him?" If, either by
inheritance or years Of vigorous exercise
before his racing begins, he starts into it
with sound and strong body,is carefully
and thoroughly trained for each'contest,
and takes an ample interval of rest be-
tween his races, not racing every after
noon for fortnight, for instance, as in
the English "bumping' race, and if the
distance covered is not greater than men
of his calibre have usually raced over
with impunity, he propably does not run
much risk of bodily injury or of shorten
ing his life. How one lacking one or
two of these requirements Jared in sud
den and severe test of his strength and
endurance may be seen from the case of
one of DR.. 'Morgan's patients, not uni
versity man: 'He was compelled
to carry heavy sack of corn
for a considerable distance without having
the opportunity of taking rest on the way.
He was struggling to reach the end of his
journey, when he suddenly felt something
give way within his chest; he experienced
a rush of blood to the head, and fell
down insensible. One Of the valves of
the left side of the heart was torn from
its attachment. Death approached
with rapid strides" The doctor hints
that this mans heart was not previously
healthy, speaks of case of aneurism of
the heart was induced by the exertions of
a boat-race, but says intemperance was
the cause, and asserts ''unhesitatingly
that whenever by reason of some violent
strain an accident occurs, either to the
heart itself or one of its great vessels, that
| heart was not at the time in a perfectly
healthy state.'' 1t may be said that me1
who have been Incorporate seldom turr
athletics, but one of the fastest scullers
America has yet produced had, not {
great while before his best race, been no
toriously Incorporate; while the stroke
oar OF winning crew, in hard race
near New York City in 1877, had som,
time before had delirium tremens. TIL,
carrying of the sack of corn was probabl,
not harder work than is frequently don'
in a boat-race. The writer once carried
a one-hundred-a fifty pound man OF
his shoulders around the Delta at Cam
bridge, said to be third of mile anc
forty yards, and did not find it as hard a
the last mile of one or two stiff races, O
that he was ever the worse for it.
But how is one to know that his hear
and lungs are free from defect, and that h
has strength and stay enough to risk hi
racing with impunity? His famil,
physician sometimes better yet, an,
physician who has made heart and lun.
disorders specialty-can easily determ
, inc the former, just as many physician
did determine it in the war, and rejecte,
,, men from the army, or as the examinin,
physicians of the insurance companies de
termine now, and admit or reject ever
day. AS to the latter, long and careful
preparation; then racing over short dis
tance, then over longer, until tn
desired length can be done without dis
. tress, and he finds that between efforts
y is none the worse for them-thcse vii
= aid him to conclusion If before an
youth could row or run race he wer
:. compelled to be examined as to his OF
. ganic fitness by some competent physi
! clan, and summarily rejected if there wa
. any weakness; if, in addition, some pei
9 son equally qualified to supervise mad
;, sure that before the contest was entere
= an adequate preparation was had.
), would go far toward reducing the physics
risk to minimum, if not quite doin
!, away with it. But SO long as hal
grown, half-developed youths can 60 int
hard rowing contests with no better qua
:. ifcation than just because they wish t
i. and fellows plainly weaker even than the
= can run helter-skelter in sharp and tryin
- foot-races, and against formidable antag
q, nists, with great crowds to egg them O
? so long there unquestionably will be risl
y for the persons so injudicious And thi
= with the frequent destruction from one
y duties, and with one more thing, the on
: partial development which any one SO
> of racing brings not yet has Il
=, single exercise been discovered whit
8 brings into play all or nearly all Il
- muscles Of the body-these are probab
;s ;s the chief, certainly among the chief, risl
= - one incurs in turning athlete Not fe
. men have managed to safely pass eac
:. n but if the experience of every athle
- - could be frankly and fully told, there
- too much reason to think that the lar
:" majority, however they may ha
escaped the first, have general
failed to avoid the other two. Al
in if in the place Of these alluring but Fl
et quently hazardous contests, daily Wig,
ke Gus work could be done which would
Il the man stop when he was reasonat
re tired, and before the risk begins, inste
ee of keeping on to exhaustion, and if Il
to work could be so chosen as to build
I parts now weak, and to daily for br
ut period give the heart and lungs and
lie, the muscles alike hearty but not straini
lse work, there is little doubt that instead
We interfering with more important duti
90 it would aid in fulfilling them; that
in stead of neglecting some muscles of
rk man and developing others abnormally
for would symmetrize him and make b
zee strong all over; and that he need ne
rs. fear permanent injury, because he
he done nothing to invite it.