The record-union., 1895-08-06
THE DANGERS OF THE WHEEL
SOME WARNINGS.


Sir BENJAMIN Ward Richardson, NJ. D..
q Fellow of the Royal Society, is one OF
whose opinion is highly valued in Eu-
rope, especially in all matters relating to
athletics. In the current number of the
North american ReUieW he has valuable
paper on "What to Avoid in CYCLING"
Now that the new means Of locomotion
is so popular and is so general in use
any possible dangers attendant upon it
should be thoroughly understood by all
men. Sir Benjamin says that for 80
many years he has been concerned in
the art and practice of cycling that the
various effects of it, good and bad. have
become with him a matter of common
observation. Indeed, he does not hest
tate to say that he is so conyersant with
the details that they form part of his
professional life. and he therefore speaks
with great degree of confidence and
without particle of prejudice.
From the first ali his expressions have
been favorable to cycling, and he is one
of the specially expert men upon the
subject as rider and observer. He de-
olsres that in making people use their
limbs, in getting them outdoors, in pro-
noting fresh air exercise, and enlarging
their mental capacity by more associa-
ton with rural scenes, the machine has
done great good, and has been useful in
the cure of some diseases. He has known
it to do much good in cases OF fatty de-
generation OF the heart, in dyspepsia,
govt, varicose veins, melancholia, failure
due to age, intermittent pulse and palpi-
tation, and distinctly in suffering from
anemia. He has seen his patients, under
due precautions, get along well in use OF
the wheel to whom q few years ago he
would have forbidden any kind of exer-
else.
But there are dangers in bicycling, and
these he feels it to be duty to set out, be-
cause he has been greatly instrumental in
Introducing cycling into England. The
first danger is In teaching those who are
too young. 1t should not be carried on
with any ardor while the body is under
going development, for the skeleton is
not fully matured until one is Il years
old. The spinal column is particularly
liable to injury by too early riding, and
when it ia injured the limbs partake of it.
The tendency in riding is to bend forward
to the curve of the front wheel. If this
attitude is long maintained the spine
more or less assumes that form. the coll
umn is distorted, and the whole being
sufferers in consequences.
With DR.. Kolb he has studied the effect
on the heart, and they find shat it is prin-
eipally affected by cycling. With brisk
cycling the motions of the heart begin TO
increase.
Rowing tells most on the breathing organs;
dumbbeIls and other exercises where the
muscles are moved without progression OF
the body; tell most the muscles; while in
climbing ana long pedestrian feats II Is the
nervous system that Is most given TO suffer.
There is not cycle rider OF any age in whom
the heart is not Influenced so as 10 do more
work, and although IN skilled cyclists and
trained cyclists Il certain balance is set up
which equaliZes the motion, such riders are
not exempt from danger. l have known the
beats OF the heart TO rise rom so TO 200 in
the minute, in the nrSt exercise of riding.
increase which. for the time, more than
doubles the amount OF work done-a very
serious fact when we remember that the eX-
treme natural motion OF the heart allows it TO
perform Il task equal to raising not less than
122 foot-tons in the course of twenty-four
hour In the young we may apply the same
argument to heart as We nave done to the
skeleton; the heart is underg, ing its develop
ment, ana II is an organ which cannot with
out danger be whipped on beyond its natural
pace. w hat occurs with IL under such cir
cumstanees is that il grows larger than it
ought to grow, that il works out OF harmony
easily agitated by influences and impressions
ecting upon ii through the mind. | have
many times seen this truth illustrated too
plainly. and doubt whether III the young,
after extreme exercise, sucn as that which
arises from 4 prolonged race the heart ever
comes down TO its natural beat for a period of
less than three days devoted 10 repose.
Cycling develops one set of muscles at
the expense of another, and therefore
excessive riding is bad for the young be-
cause it prevents symmetrical develop
ment, and all the groups do not get truly
good muscular form. Cycling does not
develop the chest muscles properly, nor
the abdominal muscles nor the muscles