The daily Alaskan., 1907-05-01
PERIL IN ATHLETICS
PHYSICAL EXERCISE SHOULD BE
 TAKEN IN MODERATION

WeaBena the Heart and Nerves and
 Lowers vitality.
 Once beyond the bounds of modera- tlon, physical exercise and physical training not only weaken the heart for lifetime, predispose to pneumonia, cause pulmonary tuberculosis and make extra possible a dozen other ills, but they unfit a man from being the ideal husband and father.
 Dr. Robert E. Coughlln of Brooklyn, says the New York Times, has been collecting statistics upon and follow ing the careers of athletes for years He examined the contestants in anna teur boxing matches, and the abnormal development of the. best of them struck him. Magnlfcently developed as to their muscles, they were far from be- ing men of normal health and strength. Beyond a 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. IL seemed worth while to explore further Into the cause.
 Tn regard to the benefit to be de rived from athletics, says the doctor lone has only to remember the physiol- ogy of exercise to become convinced of the fact that exercise, per SC, may be very beneficial. The point to bear In mind is to advise the person to stop before fatigue becomes evident. We can do this readily. when the athlete is interested in games for the mere eXer- else, but such advice cannot be offered when bis aim is to excel in an athletic contest. Here Is where athletics do great harm. and 1t would be a safe rule to advise against all forms of athletics Iu the nature of a contest
 Athletics may be said to be bcne- fclal until the heart begins to be mark edly hyperrophied. This is the dan ger signal"
 HypertrophIed is the medical mans way of saving enlarged-that Is, the walls or muscles of the heart increase in size. Though thls Is the danger signal" there Is no real danger here, only a warming. The danger comes when. in consequence of additional eT- ertlon. the heart dilates, It's interior grows larger. displQCiug the delicate machinery, causing the valves to leak. Then come "murmurs," and though a man may live for years with weakened valves he may die any day and any moment
 Does physical exercise, then, buAd up the general health and make a better man out Of a man2 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 the big English au- thorities (Sir Michael FOster puts 1t, does not exist. It is like happiness. Each has a goal or limit which, while seemingly attainable, eludes perfect possession. The body consists of a number of mechanlsms which have the closest and most exact relations, and as they approximate to harmony there ls health, but when disordered there Is llI health.
 Not necessarily does a man by phys Ical 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 a necessity. One cannot fudge of a 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 a perfectly trained condition ow- ing to the effects of severe training on the nervous system. There Is no eVl- dence to prove that athletics and mus cle building improve the constitution. One should always keep In mlOd the fact that built up or hyperrOphled muscle has 8 tendency to degenerate. The heart, being a muscular organ, shares in this tendency.
 But the athlete Is a man who goes through the severest physical strain and training. If be boxes, runs, is a gymuast, a football player, wrestler an expert at baseball or tennis. any sport requiring violent exercise and the constant keeping In trim for l., all the rest of his body Is sacrificed for the Overdevelopmeut of these special muscles. and the rest Of 1t must some how suffer
 All the body should develop together as 1t were. Body and mind should be built up evenly. If Overathleucs does nothing else 1t produces a wearing and tearing nervous strain.
 When it comes to the actual athlete, the man who speciallzes on some form of physical force and muscle power these conditions are greatly aggrayat- ed. Severe athletic training and mus. clg building, 1t is now an acknowledged fact of science, are at the expense of the nervous and glaudUlar systems.
 "An experienced athlete" says one authority, gave as his Opinlon that a man sacrifices a certain part of his life every time be enters a contest of any kind. He also said, that a man when