Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-12-16
PERIL IN ATHLETICS
PHYSICAL EXERCISE SHOULD BE
 TAKEN IN MODERATION.

Once beyond the bounds of modera. tion physical exercise and physical training not only weaken the heart for lifetime, predispoSe 10 pneumonia, cause pulmonary tuberculosis and make extra possible Il dozen other ills, but they unfit man from being the ideal husband and father
 pr Robert r.. Coughln of Brooklyn, says the New York Times, has been collecting statistics upon and follow l Ing the careers of athletes for years He examined the contestants ill alba i teur boxing matches and the abnormal development of the best of them struck him. Magnificcntly developed as to their muscles, they were far from be Ing men of normal health and strength Beyond certain point the muscular training was at the expense of their vitality. It took away from the heart and lungs. There was scarcely an or, gan of the system not affected and made less efficient. It seemed worth while to explore further into the cause
 'In regard to the benefit to be de rived from athletics" says the doctor Zone has only to remember the physiol. ogy of exercise to become convinced 1 of the fact that exercise, per So, may be very beneficial. Tie point to bear in mind is to advise the person to stop before fatigue becomes evident. Ws can do this readily when the athlete is interested in games for the mere exer- | offsn when his aim is to excel iii an athletic 1 contest Here is where. athletics do l great harm, and it would Jc d safe rule | to advise against al forms of athletics l in the nature of d contest.
 Athletics may be said to be bcne- dcial until the heart be:..ns to be mark edly hypertrophied. This is tue dan ger signal
 Hypertrophied is the medical mans way of saying enlarged-that is. the walls or muscles of the heart increase in size. Though this is the danger signal" there is no real danger here, only warning. The danger comes when, in consequence of additional ex. ertion, the heart dilates, it's interior grows larger, displacing the delicate machinery, causing the valves to leak. Then come "murmurs," and though q man may live for years with weakened valves he may die any day and any moment.
 Does physical exercise, then, build up the general health and make better man out of man? There seems to be a question. with some scientific men saying today very em- phatically, Not unless that physical exercise is very moderate indeed"
 Health. one of th.a big English au' thorities (Sir Michael Foster) puts it, does not exist. It is like happiness. Each has goal or limit which, while seemingly attainabie, eludes perfect possession. The body consists of number of mechanisms which have the closest and most exact relations, and as they approximate to harmony there is health but when disordered there is i'll health.
 Not necessarily does Il man by phys lcal training and much exercise be- come better man. nor does he even get better health. Here is the striking evidence of it in scientific statements of the day.
 To obtain good health, muscle build- ing is not necessity. One cannot judge of persons health by the size and hardness of the muscles. We have seen that the converse may be true To obtain health one must not be in perfectly trained condition oW- lng to the effects of severe training on the nervous system There is no evi' deuce to prove that athletics and mus cle building improve the constitution One should always keep in mind the fact that built up or hypertrophied muscle has a tendency to degenerate The heart, being a muscular organ. shares in this tendency.
 But the athlete Is a man who goes through the scverest physical strain and training If he boxes, runs, is gymnast, a football player, wrestler an expert at baseball or tennis, any sport requiring violent exercise ana the constant keeping Ill trim for 1t, all the rest of hls body is sacrificed for the oyerdevelopmcnt of these special muscles, and the rest of It must some how suffer.
 All the body should develop together as 1t were. Body and mind should be built up evenly. If overatheties does nothing else it produces a wearing anu tearing nervous strain.
 When if comes to the actual athlete, the man who specialiZes on some form of physical force and muscle power. these conditions are greatly aSSravat- ed. Severe athletic training and mus cle building 1t Is now an acknoW ledSed fact of science, are at the expense or tue nervous and glandular systems.
 "An experienced athlete,' says one authority, gave as his opinion that man sacrifices q certain part Of his life every time lie enters contest or any kind. He also said that man when fit as expressed ny athletes, fs i'll in
 tJ lf h.