The state journal., 1884-11-08
Exercise on the Wheel.

"DOes bicycling produce cramp?'' said
a well known physician who is also
bicyclist, when shown the other day
paragraph that bicyclers' cramp was as
coIqmon as writer's cranp. '-Hrll, 1
suppose walking sometimes produces
cramp and so, it is possible, bicycling
may. | have never heard of case,
however, and have myself never felt the
slightest i'll effects from the thousands of
miles of bicycle riding in which have
INDUCED. There is always lot of non
sense talked about the evil effects of all
sorts of healthy exercise, from lawn ten
mis- to football; but as rule the takers
are those who have never INDUCED in
any exercise other than getting on
or off a street car The fact is that
cycling is by all odds one of the
healthiest exercises in the world. There
is as much virtue in the saddle of BIZ
cycle as in the hollow bat handle of the
Arabian Nights legend. One of the
good old Crusted jokes of the bicycle
club room is When man becomes a
good bicyclist he says, goodby sick list
1t may not tend to develop extreme mus
cularity, but it gives tone to the system
and trains the nerves and gives endurance
to the muscles The use of the bicycle
brings into play all The muscles and
stimulates the digestive system. In as
cending grades, as has been pointed out,
there is lifting on the handles which calls
into increased play the muscles ofthe arms,
legs, chest, back and abdomen, while in
descending grades there is little or no exer
else of the muscles beyond that neCes-
sary to preserve equilibrium. The heart
and lungs are called upon to do more
work, and the whole of the vital pro-
cesses arc quickened. There is nothing
tending to employ one side of the body
more than the other, | have said it does
That is not saying, however, that it does
not strengthen. Muscular strength
is not constitutional strength, or
even good health. 1t is more
important that the lungs and
stomach should be strong than
that the muscles of the arms
and legs should be like iron.
To go into details bicycle riding
is of service in all cases of morbid states
of the blood, such as plethora or anemia,
and for all liver complaints. 1t has an
effect on the kidneys resembling that of
horseback riding. The old scare of her
mia. produced by cycling, has now dis
appeared. What little truth there was in
it was due entirely to the old-fashioncd
machines or ''bone shakers" as they
were aptly called.
"Asto special dangers there are none
save those attendant on imprudence on
the part of those indulging in any form
of more or less violent exercise. The
chief danger is that of accidents, and in
one or Two cases death has resulted from
fall from a bicycle; but at ordinary
speed fall rarely causes any material
damage, and the possibility of accident IS
shared in some cases to greater degree
in all forms of bodily exercise. Finally,
/ am convinced that as far as observa-
ton has yet extended, the general hy-
gienic effects of bicycling are beneficial. I"
Elliott Mason the New York agent of
the Pope Bicycling Company, laughed
when asked If bicycling was unhealthy.
Il have in my drawer" said he, "a
prescription signed by we'll known doc
tor, and brought down to me by the pa
tient, a weakly lad of seventeen.
Crouched in the true Esculapian Latin
| it called for a Standard Columbia and
! fixings, and recommended the medicine
to be taken in daily doses at the convent
ence of the patient. l have never heard
of cramp induced by cycling and GER
tainly have never experienced it.-N T.
! Tribune