Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-06-26
w H E Ell T A L K

| There has been a good deal of foolish
| talk about the bicycle. but the most foolish
| appears to be the statement now going the
| rounds of the press that bicycle riding
| shortens LIFE. Unfortunately. there is no
| way to refute the statement. I he bicycle
has not been with us long enough to live
down the statement. and the next genera
| ton will be more able to judge the matter
But from all indications the statement is
| erroneous. The disease is according to the
| name given by the medical profession, al
| buminura. 1t must evidently be somewhat
| related TO kyphosisbicyclarum. disease OF
| bicycle riding that vas discovered or
| thought to have been discovered. some time
ago. The names of the two diseases are
! sufficient to make any one feel i'll.
! The disci Sc is thought to be brought on
| by prolonged physical exercise, and at a
| recent meeting of the Association of Life
| Insurance Directors. held at New York DR.
| J. c. Young of Newark. n. J.. read a paper
| on the subject. Happily classed in the
| same category are base ball, foot ball.
fencing. boxing. bicycling and other out
| door athletic sports. making such people
| had risks for life insurance concerns. Ac-
| ccrdins to the physician. the disease is as
| bad as that of excessive drinking. and the
| only way in which bicycle rider can tell
| whether or not he has the disease Is by
| the following statement of one of the ply
| SicfanS at the meeting:
He should stop when his heart tells him
| to. If person rides until he Is tired he
| has ridden a little too far. If he rides so
| fast that he feels his heart beating against
| his chest it is time for him to get off his
| wheel. If he makes his evening spin SO
| long that he cannot readily get to sleep
! when he gets home 1t Is time for him to
| take warning. OF course a man could ex-
| perience both fatigue and palpitation and
! still not have strained himself, but 1 men
| ton this as a very safe limit If person
never goes beyond it he will never do him
| self any harm on a bicycle
| When the classification of disease comes
| down to such fine point. affecting, as it
| does, all sorts of outdoor athletics, it is
| about time to call halt.
! DR.. A. Shadwell, an English medical au
| thority, takes t he stand that while cycling
| is unquestionably good for many people
! there are, Oh the other hand, many for whom
| 1t is not good, but distinctly hurtful, and
| that in ways and for reasons not generally
| recognized. In spite of the tendency of BIZ
cycle riders to conceal untoward results,
| lest they should be forbidden the use of the
| wheel, many facts have come to light which,
| in DIR. Shadwell's opinion. ought to attract
| serious attention. He cites the case of a
| healthy girl, rather stronger than the aver
age, and able, apparently. 10 cycle as well
as anybody in short flights. One day she
| went further. though not very far perhaps
! ten miles: the result utter collapse
| followed by confinement to bed for several
| days In another case within DIR. Shad-
wells knowledge, girl developed cxo-
| phthalmic goitre as the result of a rather
| long ride. which she supposed herself able
to accomplish at the time. never went
| down, and quickly exhibited a well-marked
| example of the disease. This obscure but
grave aftiiction is said to be caused by
mental excitement. Another form of Or
ganic injury that DR.. Shadwell' has OBJ
| served In cyclers is internal Inflammation.
| OF which the symptoms are much pain and
KIND or chronic dysentery, extremely OBJ
| st1nate and OF the most lowering character
4 no Rrt tch
| lately called attention to the occurrence
OF appendicitis caused by bicycle riding,
| and a definite anatomical explanation is
suggested More important. in DR.. Shad-
| wells opinion, because more common and
more easily overlooked than such decided
injuries, are the various forms of ill de-
fined nervous effects. Men OF more than
| average vigor and accustomed to far hard
er work than cycling, complain after a
| long ride on the wheel of headache, in
| scmnfa. lassitude, nervous depression and
prostration, which are essentially nervous
| and not muscular effects Various causes
are assigned for these nervous troubles
Some blame the saddle others the vbra-
ton or the mechanical defects of the ma
| chine.
| In DR.. Shadwells Judgment, the true
| cause OF the nervous disorders sometimes
| observed In cyclers lies in the extreme in
| stability Of the two-wheeled machine which
! can never be left to itself for a single
| minute without dismounting In this re-
| spect bicycling differs from every other
occupation. The strain of attending to
| the wheel may not be very great in itself.
| sometimes 1t Is and sometimes 1t is not
but 1t never ceases, and 1t is this incessant
| tension which tells upon the nerves. We
are reminded that the demeanor of most
| riders attests this incessant tension with
an emphasis which still excites -ridicule.
familiar as the sight has become Some
| time ago Dr. Shadwell drew attention to
| the peculiar strained, set look so often as
soctated with this pastime, and called it
the bicycle lace. Some have the face
more or less marked. but nearly all have
1t. Has anybody" asks Dr. Shadwell.
| lever seen persons on bicycles talking and
| laughing and looking Jolly like persons en-
gagged In other amusements?"
No one. Of course. can blame the bicy-
clist for wearing a fixed and anxious ex-
preston: his machine is SO excessively
crank that 1t cannot stand the. slightest
| shock. To ride 1t safely entails a double
particular ore on the balancing center
The latter strain does not affect everybody.
| but DR.. Shadwel testifies that it affects
some very seriously. People differ In ball
| ancing capacity as much as in an ear for
music: and 1t costs some bicycle riders
constant and conscious effort to keep their
equilibrium. They show the effect Of the
effort by suffering from headache at the
| back OF the head, where the balancing
center Is situated.
The eminent doctor evidently takes a
theoretical view OF the matter, Judging
by the fact that he never saw q bicycle
rider talking and riding and looking Jolly
like persons engaged in other amusements
The look that he speaks OF may be COM
mon with new riders. but the old, old riders
never have any trouble in laughing, talk
ing OF doing q multitude of things while
in the saddle. The writer even knows of
| the case of a young man In town who
went to sleep with his hand or the handle
bar while pedaling down PENNSYLVANIA
avenue. Surely this does not demonstrate
any particular strain in the management
OF the machine.