Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-19
REJECTED policeman
WON OLYMPIC RACE
Sheppard, 1900 Meter Win.
ner, Barred From Force :
by a Weak Heart. q

NEW YORK, July 1s.-Melvin W. ShNp-
pard, the American. who won the l.S0o.
meter race at the English Olympic
games Tuesday In 4.o3 2-5. was rejected
last May as physically unfit for the po-
lice force OF New York says the Times.
The committee OF police surgeons exam.
lining him reported that he had arterio
sclerosis and chronic endocarditis Ar.
terio sclerosis is hardening OF the ar.
teries. and endocarditis Is Inflammation
Of the membrane about tho heart
Sheppard not only won the LOO meter
race Tuesday in time that eQuaied the
best for the event at the games. but on
the previous day he won the second heat
In time that was only one and three-fifths
seconds lower than he made In the hnAl.
In the final he was pitted against flvo
Englishmen. one Canadian and an Amer.
lean.
Sheppard Rejected.
When last May he wanted to become 4
policeman he got his name on tho civil
service list. but was rejected by the Do
lice surgeons. He protested to the civil
service commission. with the result THAI
the commissions surgeons examined him
again. They decided that he had q siieht-
ly enlarged heart. but that this did not
mean that he was disqualified. He was
accordingly certified again for appoint
ment and Is now on the waiting list.
As to his rejection. the records at police
headquarters show that Sheppard, with
sixty Others was examined by q commit
tee or three police surgeons May ~.
DR. oastler; Of the three. wnen eues-
toned, said he did not remember ShAp-
pard.
I'VE do not get their Names" said he:
they are simply so many men to be ex-
amfned. The clerical force attend to the
names. The men are examined In large
batches SO that we would not remember
any one in particular. Whenever q batch
OF men Is ready for examination some OF
the police surgeons are assigned a. q
committee of three members to examine
them
Athletes and Weak Hearts.
DR.. Oastler was asked II q man with q
| weak heart could run a race.
why. yes.' he replied; many athletes
have enlarged hearts"
Gould man with arterio sclsrosis
| and chronic endocarditis run q racer
was asked.
He might on the principle that he
| might be good athlete for q time and
drop dead In the end he replied.
When reporter called at police head
quarters Commissioner Bingham was not
there. His private secretary, Mr.. Stat
| terry. said that there had been nothing 70
| markable in the occurrence.
Most athletes have weak hearts," Re
| said. "The physical examinations for
| would-be policemen are necessarily Sc
| we're. A man may be able to run q race
and yet not be good enough for the Do
lice force. We want men who are a.
| nearly physically perfect as we can get.
We don't want q man on the force whose
| heart might give way under q sudden
| strain. We could not take men whose
hearts are diseased. anyway, on account
Of the pension fund. II we got men who
were not physically At they would. In the
event OF being laid up by an accident that
might not affect stronger men. become
eligible for the pension fund"
/ For q long time there was friction be-
tween the medical men OF the police force
and the civil service commission. In Jan.
uary the trouble became SO acute that the
mayor interfered and called upon DR..
| Walter Bensel to act as peacemalxer. AZ
| a result Of the mediation there was nc
further trouble until the case OF Sheppard
| came up.