Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-04
DEFENDERS OF THE WHEEL.
Medical Opinion Confirmed by the Ex-
perience of People Who Ride.


perfence of People Who Ride.
From the San Francisco Argonaut.
Tie San Francisco dailies have recently
published columns of matter concerning the
death of young man named Giles, which
death was attributed to meningitis caused
by bicycle riding. The doctors gravely dis
cussed the matter PRO and con. and their
varying views were touched upon in last
weeks number of the Argonaut. The up
shot of the medical discussion seemed to be
that those doctors who do not ride are d.
vided on the question, come believing that
bicycling is beneficial and others that 1t is
not; among the doctors who ride, however.
there is absolutely no difference in opinion
they all believe the wheel to be beneficial.
The opinioh of the doctors who favor the
wheel has been corroborated In the most
marked way ty number OF people VINO
ride-some of whom have been patients,
but are SO no longer. Mr. c. G. Field of
San Francisco writes to the papers that he
is ffty-tnree years old; that he has been
wheeling for twenty years; that he recent
ly rode to San Jose a distance of fifty
miles. in three hours and five minutes. with
out discomfort; that he is in robust health.
which he ascribes to the bicycle; that his
brother, who had weak lungs. has been re-
stored to health by bicycle riding: and Mr..
Field closes by saying he believes there Is
no danger in bicycle riding, except that re-
sulting from accident.
Nine. Julie Rosewald who is well known
throughout the United States as former
prima donna of opera, now lives in San
Francisco. She has cured herself of rheu-
matism and neuralgia by bicycling, after
the doctors had failed to do her any good.
Mrs. George Forbes attributes her recovery
from nervous prostration to the use OF the
Wheel Mrs. c. G. Field and her daughter
ascrfbe their robust health to wheeling, al
though Mrs. Field condemns the use of cor
sets on the wheel. Mrs. w. V. Bryan re-
covered her lost health by wheeling.
Mrs. Mills of Mills College for young
women is SO firmly convinced Of the bene-
hts OF wheeling for girls that she encour-
ages 1t by every means in her power and
the number of bicycles in constant use at
ladies' In San Francisco who have rushed
to the defense of the wheel, all alleging
that 1t has been beneficial-some who were
ailing say they have been restored to
health by its use, and those who were in
good health when they began are more ro-
bust than ever
Altogether, it would seem as II the doc
tors had not proved their case against the
wheel When we consider the extreme con-
servitism of women. their proneness to lis
ten to their physicians, and their fndisposi-
ton to make such marked changes in their
garb as even a mild wheeling costume in
wolves. the hold that the bicycle has ac-
CURED over them Is marvellous. Every day
the papers of the land are filed with ac-
counts of bicycling accidents, many CT them
happening to women; here in San Francis
co, In addition to the terror of accidents,
the doctors have sprung this new meningeal
terror. But all this is of no avail. Women
are more timid than men. Yet the terrible
tales do not deter them. The number Of
new devotees of the wheel. male and fe
male, seems to be increasing more rapidly
than ever, despite the new terrors.
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