San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-11-02
THAT HUMP,
a Thoroughly Posted Anatomist
Tells What 1t will Develop.


appears inevitable that a ma
jority OF the human race will be-
fore long move about on bicycles.
This adoption Of a new means OF
locomotion necessarily has a very
i'm portant bearing on the physical
welfare OF the race, and bicyclists
should have some regard not only
for their own health, but for that
of posterity.
The World has sought the opin.
ion on this subject OF DR.. Lewis A.
Sayre, who is the most eminent
orthopaedic surgeon and specialist
on affections Of the spine in this or
any other country. He has been
interested a good deal in the bi.
cycling question and took the op-
portunity to give some earnest ad-
vice to bicyclists.
DIR. Sayre is himself a strong,
we'll 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 spe.
cies more like hobgoblins than
men may in the future be evolved
by the use Of the bicycle.
SIN my daily walk in Central
Park, said DR.. Sayre, 81 have been
very much struck by the number
OF young men who ride bicycles in
harmful positions. They lean over
until their noses almost touch the
front wheel, their arms fixed to the
handles with the rigidity of death,
their chests caved in and their
backs bent in a semi-circIe. The
girls ride in better positions than
the men, as rule, because their
feminine self respect prevents them
from making themselves ridicul-
ous."
Il have spoken to several OF the
young men in the park about it,
saying to them: Now, my boys,
why don't you sit up like that
pretty grip This usually had the
effect of making them get in
to better positions and also of
making them feel uncomfortable.
"They tell me that they stoop be-
cause the resistance Of the wind is
decreased In this position and they
get more purchase on the wheels.
But the exercise, il it really neces-
sitates such position, is worse
than useless. The bicyclists should
take time and not be in such few
erish hurry.
81 believe that bicycle, IL riden
in a proper position, with the back
straight and the chest thrown out,
provides good exercise for physi-
cally sound people.
"But as it is, great many must
be doing themselves harm by their
manner of riding. The bent
position Is almost certain to
do harm to week spine and is liza.
BILE to cause injury to fairly
strong one. II these bicyclists APP
preciated little Of the miseries OF
spinal disease they would certain.
ly mend their ways.
"As such a vast numb Der OF peo-
pie are riding bicycles, the modifi-
cations Of their bodies, brought
about by the exercise, may be-
come hereditary in the race. II the
theory of evolution is correct and
the bad manner Of riding l have
described becomes general, the peo-
pie of the future will be very
curious in appearance. Their legs
will greatly increase in size and
the knees will be developed
in a remarkable manner by
the great amount of work which
the pedaling exercise puts on them.
Their bodies will be very small
and curved and their arms very
long and powerful, but with a
different distribution of muscles
from the present. Their hands will
be large and hooked. The changes
in the external form OF the body
will, of course, cause a great many
others in the internal organization.
New York World.