Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-06-29
MORE ABOUT
TUBERCULOSIS
The Importance Of Exercise Or
Rather Lack Of Exercise
In Its Treatment
CONCENSUS
OF OPINION
Physicians The Country over
Declare That Exercise as
Usually Taken is Injurious

The s~ubjoined article was publishe,
in The Optic some time ago. IS,
hasa g msttI hslls for cGpi,s o
the paper containing the articla an,
the edition is exhausted, BY Teques
It Is republished.
The question Of the effect of a mo
derate amount OF exercise in the treat
ment of consumption as opposed t,
the rest cure" has given rise to n,
end Of discussion. The followin.
article, taken from a recent issue d
The Settler goes into the matter Il
length and produces various authori
ties opposed to the doctrine of "exer
cise.n
70 a recent issue the Settler present.
go q letter from a resident in one Of
the Boston settlements on the subject
OF consumption and its cures. Among
other suggestions the writer advised
consumptives to take much exercises
In the open air" A correspondent in
Pasadena, Cal, now writes to protest
against his BIT Of advice as likely to do
great harm, and begs the Settler to
print a SYNOPSIS of expert opinion
on this question. This writer express
es the conviction that Robert Louis
Stevenson would be alive today had
he rested. instead Of exercising, in the
open air. Without undertaking to pro-
nounce on the merits of the issue thus
raised. the Settler is glad to give space
to the following extracts from the let
ter of this correspondent
Charles Fox Gardiner. M. D..of Col
orado. in his book. "The Care Of the
Consumptive." SAYS: 1T can be stated
as a truism that exercise Of any kind
as it is generally taken during the
course of tuberculosis, is more apt to
be injurious than beneficial. In fact,
none of the curative forces Of nature
have to be used with more caution,
and selected with greater care to suit
the Individual cases, than muscular
exercise. The habits of the patient
have to be carefully considered-as
to what exercise. il any, he has been
accustomed to take daily before being
III. 1t may be stated as a general
rule. however, that no exercise of any
kind should be taken when the temper.
ature of the body is above 100 degrees
Fahrenheit" DR.. Gardiner then quotes
from DR., T.. l.. Trudeau Of Saranac as
follows: ut is much better. however,
always to err on the side of oyer.cau. |
tion in prescribing active exercise to
tuberculosis patients, and ! feel con.
fident that many lives are constantly |
sacrificed to a deep-rooted and very
general m~isconception which exists inI
the lay. and to a great extent in the
professional mind as well in regard
to the advantage of active exercise in
this disease. If there Is any n rnle
that should Be generally applied N
the treatment Of tuberculosis, 1t is
that, when any degree Of fever Nkpres
ent, the course Of the disease will bel
injuriously affected in direct propofs
tion{ to the amount Of active exercise
the }patient Is allowed to take. Still
further | constantly see an apparently
OUT escent and arrested process famed
into renewed and often uncomfortable
activity bS one single over.exertion."
4 T9lat DR.. Trudeau's ideas on this sub
q are faithfully carried ont IL shown
by this bit Of doggerel sent mesby
one Of his Saranac patients:
~ / sit and sit in the morning light,
sit and sit at moon,
We Sit in the days. declining light,
We sit by the Light ,of the moon.
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