Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1879-04-24
Risks Of Athletic Work.

Wuc Pots fu tWp, tufet, or more wears At
severe athletics, frequently, either when
practicing ION time or In his various
races. doing his very utmost, and coming
in AT the end thoroughly exhausted. and
with nethus left 10 himy' IL, either by
Inheritance or years OF vigorous exercise
before his racing begins. he starts into Il
with sound and strong body, Is carefully
and thoroughly trained for each contest,
aud takes an ample interval of rest between
his races, not racing every afternoon tor a
fortnight, for instance, as in the English
dumping" races, ami II the distance Gov
cred Is not greater than men of his calibre
have usually raced over with mpunity, he
probably does not run much risk OF bodily
injury or Of shortening his life. How one
lacking one or two of these requirements
Jared 10 sudden and severe test OF his
strength and endurance may be seen from
the case OF one OF DR.. Morgan's patients,
not university man; "He was compelled
To carry heavy sack OF corn for consid-
ersole distance without having the oppor-
tunity 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 10 the head, and fell down insensi-
bic. One of the valves OF the left side of
the heart was torn from It's attachment.
Death approached with rapid strides" The
doctor hints that this mans heart was not
previously healthy, speaks of a case where
an aneurism Of the heart WAS Induced By
the eSertions of a bostrace, but says In
temperance was the cause, and asserts
"unhesitstingly that whenever by reason
of some violent strain an accident occurs,
either TO the heart itself or 20 one of its
great vessels, that heart was not at the
time IN perfecdy healthy state" II may
be said that men who have been intemper-
ate seldom turn athletes, but one OF the
fastest scullers America has yet prodaced
had. not great while before his best race |
been notoriously Incorporate; while the
stroke oar OF winning crew in a hard
race near New York city In 1877, had some
time before had delirum tremens. Ih.
carryin. OF the sack of corn was probably
not harder work than is frequently done in
ooat-race. The writer once carried a
one-ha dred- And-ttty pound man on his
shoulders around the Delta at Cambridge, |
said 10 be ihrd Of mile aud forty wards,
and did not find IL as hard as the last mile
OF one or two stuff races. or that he was
ever the worse for 10.
But how IL one TO know that his heart
and lungs are free from defect, aud that he
has strength and stay enough TO risk his
racing with impunityi His family physlc-
ian-or, somethtn. better yet, any physic-
Ian who has made heart and lung CiIsord-
ers specialty-cau easily determine the
mine II Ia the war. and rejected men from
the army, or as the examining physicians
Of the lIte-nsurance companies determine
now, and admit or reject every dav. As
TO the latter long and careful preparation;
then racing over short distance, then
over longer, until the desired length can
be done without distress, and be finds that
between efforts he Is none the worse for
thein-these will aid him TO a conclusion.
Ii before any youth could row or run race
he were compelled to be examined as to
his organic fitness by some competent ply
sician, and summary elected If there was
any weakness ii, in addition, some person
equally qualified 10 supervise made sure
that before the contest was eutered on ade-
quate preparation was had, It would go far
toward reducing the physical risk TO a min
imum, IL not quite doing away with it.
But so long a nalf-groNn, hali-developed
youths can 90 into hard rowing contests
with no better qualification than just be
cause they wish To, and fellows plainly
weaker even than they can run helter-skeI-
ter in sharp and trying foot-raees, aud
against formidable antagonists with great
crowds TO egg them on, So long there un-
questionably will be risks for the persons
so njudicious. And this. with the fire.
quent distraction from ones duties, and
with one more thing, the only partial de-
velopment which any one sort OF racing
brlngs-for not yet has the single exercise
been discovered which brings into play
or nearly all the muscles OF the oOdy -
these are probably tue chief, certainly
among the chief. risks one incurs In turn
Ing athlete. Not few men have managed
TO safely pass each but IL the experience
of every athlete could be frankly aud fully
told, there i too much reason TO think that
the large majority, however they may have
escaped the first, have generally failed to
avoid the other two. Aud il in the place
OF these alluring but frequently hazardous
contests, daily vigorous work could be
done which would -t the man stop. when
he was reasonably tired, and before the
risk begins Instead of Keeping on to ex-
haustIon, aud II that work could be so
chosen a. to build up parts now weak,
aud TO daily for brief period give the
heari and lungs and all the muscles alike
hearty but not strainng work, there Is
little doubt that instead OF interfering with
more important dulles, II would aid in full
filling them; thar instead OF neglecting
some muscles OF the man and developing
him, and make him strong all over: and
that he need never fear permanent injury,
because he has done nothing to invite IT.
WILLIAM BLAKE, In Harper's Magazine
for May.