The Hattiesburg news., 1909-12-22
OXYGEN AIDS WORK
Athletes Derive Benefit from
This Source After Exercise.
Or. Anderson Of Yale Gymnasium
Gives Results Of Experiments in
Relieving Heart and Lung Dis
tress in Physical Exertion.

New Haven, Conn.-The expert.
ments which have been carried on for
a year by DR.. William G. Anderson,
director of the Yale gymnasium, prove
that there is new field for the use
of oxygen in relieving heart and lung
distress in physical exertion, accord
ing to the report DR.. Anderson has
just made public.
The report is divided into two parts.
One relates to the extensive expert
ments performed on Yale athletes.
More than 600 were examined and the
effects of oxygen on their hearts was
studied. This report is now in the
hands of Prof. Russell H. Chittenden,
director of the Sheffield scientific
school, and will not be published in
details for several weeks
Its conclusions are not so decisive
as those from the experiments made
on athletes in mountain climbing. The
series is detailed in the story of the
ascent of the three Mexican volcanic
mountains-Orizaba, 1879 feet in
height; Popocatapetl, 1874 feet, and
Ixtacchuitl, 17,476 feet. The Mexican
guides who accompanied the party
had never before been able to ascend
the last-named peak.
Eleven persons took part in tha
| trip, which was made in the last
Christmas vacation. Joel Ellis Fisher.
Jr., of New York city, a Yale student,
| financed the undertaking. Use was
made of oxygen during the ascent and
it signally relieved the distress, SO
that the climb was made with much
greater ease than would have other
wise been possible.
| Two sets of experiments were made
in the use of oxygen during athletic
contests. The contests were held
first at the 'IIuts of Pallegallinas,
about 10000 feet above the surface
of the sea, and then at the Caves Of
Cholula," 13,400 feet above the sea
In the first contest it was not deemed
advisable to try anything more siren
uous than the 100-yard dash, although
the athletes upon whom the tests were
made wore the heavy uniform of 6
traveller. AS a result of the tests DR.
Anderson reports:
l have no hesitation in saying tha
the dyspnoea caused by high attitudes
is very materially alleviated by oxy
gen.
Oxygen reduces the pulse rate |
taken before the run or if taken be
fore and after the exertion. The ga
greatly relieved the dyspnoea whicl
was evident after each run. If oxy
| gen is not taken, the heart rate il
quickened, and does not return to nor
NAL beat so quickly.
His report on the second series
which consisted of walks, follows:
Oxygen given before walking re
duces the heart rate. Taken after
wrad, it also reduces the number o
heart beats quickly. The walk, with
out the use of oxygen, quickens tn
action of the heart noticeably. If tn
gas was not inhaled after this effort
the heart did not return to it's norma
beat so quickly.
Dr. Anderson throws light on tn
use of chocolate as a food by his ez
periments. He used it in climbin
one mountain, and found that it al
forded decided nourishment. This re
port upsets the claim of several str
dents of an athletic diet.
General use of oxygen in the har
ding of athletes is expected to folio,
the publication of DR.. Andersons re
port. The experiments are expecte
to revolutionize mountain climbing
and to make accessible many peak
never yet climbed.