Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-08
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EFFECTS OF HIGH SPEED
Physical Tests of Chauffeur Before
and After Twenty-Four-
Hour Drive.

A series Of striking physical tests has
recently been completed in England in
connection with the automobile races.
When Mr.. s. F. Edge drove a car contin-
uously for t~wenty-four hours at high
speed he was the subject Of very careful
observation by DR.. l.. P. Gibson. Mr..
Edge was exaRined before and immedi-
ately after the race and his sensations
when driving were carefully noted. OBJ
servations we're made of his temperature,
pulse and general nervous and physical
condition. Specimens OF his blood were
also examined before and after the race.
The results are given in the British Medi-
cal Journal as follows:
* Before the race Mr.. Edge for some time
took all opportunities OF long motor drives
about the country and then one weeks alb
solute rest from business and from any
lengthy drives just before the race, to
avoid staleness, He took no kind Of spe-
cisl training diet, only living very simply,
taking plenty OF fruit. cocoa, fish. vegeta-
bles, a moderate amount of meat, and no
tea. During the race he had fruit ~(oranges.
grapes, Strawberries. and ~bananas). with
occasional drinks of cocoa and beef tea
very littie). some chocolate, and beef
EIA nc oiSO NpOH OAt eAdih 4
coca, made up with chewing gum, every
hour. He ate no so-called solid food at
ALL
During the short stops in the race the
chief cause of discomfort and exhaustion
was bruising' md backache from a light,
not very comfortable seat. fitted to a
chassis from which a heavy touring body
had been removed, the springs being too
curved for comfort at high speed over a
track worn in some places.
After the race a few peas and bread
and a drink of water were taken. and he
was in bed and asleep within three hours
of the finish, slept we'll all night, and was
eating a good breakfast at 9 o'clock next
morning. The pulse, temperature and
respiration were normal. and he was none
the worse for the extraordinary and ex-
haustipg strain he had been through.
His temperature before starting was
sS.4 degrees. pulse "a, of which figure /
is a sphygmographlc tracing, At the end
Of the race his temperature was 100 de-
grees, and his pulse, of which figure 2 is
a sphygmographic tracing, 20. I take II
that the slowing was due to exhaustion
that the blood pressure was low, due to
vagus control. and that the residual blood
in the left ventricle was increased in
amount. This condition of weak pulse may
be accentuated by the fact OF the blood
being soaked up, as It were, by the lungs.
owing TO the long continued rapid move
ment through the air.
Before the ride a specimen OF blood
was taken and examined for the tubercuIo-
opsonic index Index OF FESTIVE power TO
tubercular Infection. which was found to
be oJS. Another specimen taken directly
after the race gave III. That the power
OF resistance 10 the tubercle bacillus should
be raised after the long journey is very
noteworthy, and helps to strengthen the
opinion held by many of us that motoring
Is ar effective treatment in some cases OF
tuberculosis, and that the gloomy prophe-
cies Of some anent the bad effects OF great
speed on the system are incorrect"