The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-27

The President VIII Make Trial of It-How 1t
Has Affected General Sheridan.
New York Sun.


New York Sun.
Can man who is rich and INDECENT or too
weak to stand the exhaustion, have his exercis-
ing done for him so that his health may not only
not grow worse, but, on the contrary, constantly
Improve! The masseur, as the massage operator
calls himself, very promptly answers that this
can be done. President Cleveland has been try
ing little of the massage treatment He has
worried good deal about mis- increasing weight
The buttons on his dress coat have been set over
twice within year TO accommodate an expand
ing glrth Besides that, he has recently felt hot,
sharp pains In the small of his back. which were
attributed to some kidney disease. A massage
operator was recommended, and it is said that a
slight treatment of the muscles of the back
cured the pains there. Mr. Cleveland desired to
take regular course for the cure of his obesity,
but the cares of his Office and the work incident
to the time of year prevented that although he
was told that he could reasonably expect to have
his glPtn reduced two inches a week. He can
not spare the time just now.
Gen. Phil Sheridan has also been treated The
General was troubled about the size of his col
lar He has had to wear larger size each year
for several years. He expects to reduce his
weight without changing his diet
Inc recent recovery OF Secretary Manning in
Washington from what it was at one time feared
would be permanent paralysis of the right
side Is said to be almost wholly due to massage
treatment. Secretaries Whitney and BayarG
who had been benefited by the treatment, per-
suaded Mr.. Manning to try it. The first treat
ment was given to him at the Fifth-avenue
Hotel in this city. and the treatment was con-
tinued at Washington.
MF. Osbaldiston, who operated on the Presi-
dent and Secretary Manning, showed Sun re-
porter Yesterday what the treatment is. The
patient In this case was stalwart young man.
He stripped and stretched himself on his back
on long, narrow table that would have sci yed
we'll for dlssecting table but for the fact that
it was covered with hard hair cushions. His
arms were stretched above his head, so that his
chest was expanded. He was then covered
with a soft blanket. except his right leg. The
operator In his shirt sleeves, and with his
sleeves rolled up, took the patients big toe
loosely between his fingers and gave it sort of
rotary motion, pressing it in toward the foot
very gently and yet with such force that the pa
tent could feel the ends of the bones at the joint
rubbing against each other. The friction pro
duced pleasant glow and warmth All the toes
were treated in the same way Then, grasping
the foot In one hand and the calf of the leg in
tbs other, the opera tor put the foot through a
series or gyratons that started the glow and
warmth in the ankle joint. With his left hand
on the patients knee and the right casping the
heel, the operator made the joints of the heel,
the knee and hip fairly tlngle. The limb was
twisted, turned, contorted and extended through
all the motions of which IT Is naturally capable,
and that at the rate of about LOO motions min
ute. The other leg was treated in like manner.
So were the hands and arms. This was the ''ar-
ticuiation" of the joints and muscles. Then the
operator retired TO the feet again. The muscles
were caught between the fingers and palms of
the operators hand. and at once squeezed, ro
tated, stretched and rubbed by complicated
movement, which the operator said could DO
learned after about six weeks practice.
This treatment was also applied to the mus
cles of the trunk of the body.
The patient was then turned over, and the
muscles from tie heel to the base of the brain
were treated Then the patient turned back
again. and the operator put his hands into the
form adopted by a man when he is going to dip
water out or brook when thirsty Holding his
hands thus, the operator pounded the patient
from foot to head with the hollow sides The
same treatment was given to the back
The next treatment was q sort of thrashng
The ends of four rubber tubes, each half inch
in diameter and nine or ten inches long were
secured to handle that looked like that of a
varnish brush. The patient was covered with
the blanket and whipped from foot to head with
this cato-four-tais. The blows were glancng
instead of direct
This ended the manipulations by the operator.
There remained the movements which the pa
tent must make himself. These were sort of
calisthenics. The patient stood upright and
waved his hands about ald clenched his fist in a
way that brought into play every muscle of the
arms and chest. The head was thrust in and
out and wagged about to strengthen the muscles
of the neck. The patient with his body erect
and hands at his sides, palms down, made an eff
fort to sit down on his own heels by bending his
knees and rising upon his toes. There was
strong probability each time that the patient
would fall on his nose
The patient finally mastered the movement.
He sat well down, rose slowly up on tip-toe,
raised his hands above his head, and then
came down solidly on his heels. That exercised
the legs and arms both. Then the patient got
down on all tours, his toes resting the floor
close together, and his hands eighteen inches
apart. He then lowered his face to the floor by
bending his elbows only, swinging forward at
the same time. The muscles of the back arms,
and chest were tested in this movement to a re-
markable but not painful extent
There remained but one other movement
The patient lay down on his back with the
palms of his hands on the floor and his heels
together. Then he raised his heels abou six
inches above the carpet, held them there an
instant, and then described a circle in the
air by swinging them off to the right and then
around with the sun over his body to the
place of starting and then back over the course
again. This was repeated only as often as the
strength of the patient would easily permit. ut
gave the muscles of the back all the exercise
they yyaDtei