New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-15
SPINNING IDEAL SPORT.
Increases Number Of Red Corpusclcs
IN Blood More than 4ny Other.

DIT Philip B. Hawk OF the University Of Penn
sylyania has been experimenting on the athletes
Of that university. and has found that a three
minute game of water polo produces n greater
number Of good red corpuscles in the blood than
any other form Of athletic exercise He there
fore believes swimming TO be the ideal sport
He has also found that the continuation of any
exercise beyond given point again reduces the
number OF corpuscles. DR.. Hawk accounts for
this increase and subsequent decrease with con-
tinued exercise to the sudden passage into cir
uation through the vigorous exercise Of = great
number of cells which have been accommodating
and lying in reserve throughout the period OF
minimum action. and the subsequent reduction
of the number when the reserve supply has be-
come depleted by the continuation Of the eXer
Csc DE- Hawk is now experimenting to deter
mine what the effect of exercise carried to an
extreme is upon the blood.
In making the tests DIR. Hawk, who is dem
onstrator in physiological chemistry at the uni
yel sty took samples Of blood from the athletes
they went from their dressing rooms to ex-
ercse in the different athletic sports. When they
returned he took another set of samples from
the same men. BY means of a microscope he
vc-rted the red corpuscles in each sample, and
compared those taken before the exercise with
those taken after. According to the count the
game of water polo showed the most marked
percentage of increase.
After Of these examinations during the
athletic season, while tie men were in the pink
Of condition and exerting themselves to the ut
mo@t. he found the following resulted from the
count Of the blood corpusclcs:
Percentage of gain after the 109-yard dash
2LS; 120-yard hurdles. 21.3; half-m run, 40:
riIa run, 1919; two-mile run SIS; broad jump six
jumps -; three minute water polo game, -.
The muscular eXcvtiOn required in a run of
two niles produced an increase of only IS per
cent. The same marked decrease was shown in
the experiments with the blood of bicycle riders
The srrinters for comparatively short distance
finished with an increase of 1874 per cent, while
the longer rides produced the lower average in
crease Of o. per cent Similar results were OBJ
taircd from the examination of the blood of
pedestrians The experiments indicated that the
r.ood of the average college athlete contains
.,ij"0n0 red corpuscles to the cubic m!imetre
while that of the average man contains only
from 100000 to 100000.
In speaking OF the results Of his work. Dr.
IaWk said:
From the anaIy Sis l should recommend swimming
as the ideal sport. This form of muscular exercise
hac been found produce an average increase OF
z per cent. compared with the increase OF l6G
I,r cent after srrint!ng and running, that of l2S
per produced by walking and that OF i per
[, IL secured result Of Dcy Gle riding.
The short swims, continuing not longer than three
minutes, produced the large increase of 22.5 per
cent in the number of red corpuscles, While the
long swms, during which the subject was exceed
ipgly active for period OF fifteen minutes, pro-
duced the much smaller increase Of 1873 per cent.
1t is an interesting fact that the average increase