St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-22
THE CYCLING FlENDS
Unpleasant Things That May Hap.
Den to Them

pen CO IOof0.
1t appears inevitable that majority
of the human race will before long
move about on bicycles, says the New
York World. This adoption of new
means of lOcOmOtiOn necessarily has u
very important bearing OIL the physical
welfare of the race, aud bicyclists
should have some regard not only for
terity.
The World has sought the opinion on
this subject of DIR. Lewis A. Sayre. who
Is the most eminent Orthopedic sur
geon and specialist on affections of the
spine in this or any other country. He
ues been Interested good deal in the
bicycling question and took the oppOr
tunity to give some earnest advice to
bicyclists.
DIR. Sayre is him self a strong, well
preserved old man of the type which
has been followed pretty closely by the
human race since the time of Adam,
and he is really panied at the thought
that species more like hObgoblins than
men may in the future be evolved by
the use of the bicycle.
Tin my daily walk in Central park"
said Dr. Sayre. II have been very much
struck by the number of young men
who ride bicycles in harmful positions.
They lean over till their no 1es almost
touch the front wheel, their arms fixed
to the handles with the rightly of death,
their chests caved in and their backs
bent into a semicircle. The girls ride
III better positions than the men AS a
rule, because their feminine self-resuect
prevents them from making themselves
ridiculous.
81 have spoken to several of the
young men in TIE park about it, saying
to them: Now, my boy. why don't
you sit up like that pretty grip This
usually liad the effect of making them
get into better positions and also of
making them feel uncomfortable.
"They tell me that they StOop be-
cause the resistance of the wind is de-
creased in this position. and they get
more purchase OH the wheels. But the
exercise, ii it really necessitates such a
position, is worse than useless. The
bicy clsts should take time. and not he
II believe that bicycle, if ridden in
proper position, with the back straight
aud the chest thrown out, provides a
good exercise for physically sound
people.
''But as it is. great many must be
doing them elves harm by Their man
ner of riding The bent position is
almost certain to do harm to weak
spine and is liable to cause injury to a
fairly strong one. If these cyclists
appreciated little of the miseries of
| spinal disease they would certainly
mend .heIr ways.
LAS such vast number of people are
riding bicycles, the notifications of
their bodies. brought about by the exer-
else. may become hereditary in the race.
1t the theory of evolution is correct and
| the bad manner of riding l have de.
| scribed becomes general, the people of
the future will be very curious in app
pearance. Their legs will greatly ill
| crease in size, and the knees will be de-
velOped in a remarkable manner by tine
! great amount of work which the pedal
| ling exercise puts on them. Their
bodies will be very small and curved
and their arms very long and powerful.
but with a di tferent distribution of mus
| cles from the present. Their hands will
be large and hooked. The changes in
the external form of the body will, of
| course, cause great many others in
| the internal organaZiOn."
The same subject is occupying the
| attention of the medical profession all
| over the world.
The Academy of Medicine of France
has been discussing it. DR.. Petit, all
eminent Partisan physician, stated that
he had met with three cases of persons
suffering from heart disease ill whom
death seemed to be accelerated by the
practice of cycling. He also argued
that as in the streets of Paris there are
at the present time no fewer than 100, 0C0
persons who ride OH cycles, and that
among these there must be one IN every
hundred suffering from cardiac disease,
the danger of cycling is much greater
than is generally supposed. In persons
of middle age, like those to whom Dr.
Petit referred-one of whom was sixty
and the other two forty years old
there must be a maximum OF danger
from the pursuit.
He held also that among the young
who were not suffering from actual car
diac disease the excitement incidental
TO travelling through the streets OF
crowded city in the midst of the most
varied traffic was of necessity attended
With DOulfY FISK, Doth from external
collision and from internal strain and
injury.
The Lancet, the leading English med
zeal journal, in recent issue says:
1--WE have admitted that many of the
experiences that have been learned
about cycling are among the marvels of
the century the attainment, for in
stance, of an art that enables a man to
compete, not with horse, but, far be-
yond that, with a steam engine, coursing
away at twenty-five miles an hour. We
have treated on some advantages of
cycling to the aged, and have shown
that the muscles of the octegenarian can
he redeveloped to great extent by the
exercise. We have honestly admitted
every word that can be fairly spoken in
favor of the exercise. But we have
given equally honest attention to its
faults and dangers, and we shall con.
tlnue to do so, assured that the profess
sion and the public at large will listen
to what we hope is judicial and al
together unbiased expression. until
through the whole of the cycling COM
munity sensible reforms and moderate