The Coolidge examiner., 1935-02-01

~ the country gem
orally.
This does not mean that no at
tention need be paid to the phys
ical condition OF the hearts of this
group-the emotional futterings of
the heart common 10 this period are
of course beyond the scope of this
article. But physically this decade
Is the most important in the life
history of the heart 1t Is so very
easy 10 do damage TO this organ In
the adolescent years-damage that
is not particularly felt then, but
that win later manifest itself as
serious heart disease.
If boy or girl can go through
the adolescent years without impair
ing the health of the cardiac region
through either infections or over
straining, then he or she has a very
good chance OF not becoming a
heart case" later on.
The adolescent years are the
hearts growth period 1t begins
growing when a child is twelve or
thirteen years old; In some children
1t starts growing even earlier. By
the time the boy or girl is twenty,
the size of the heart has increased
two and one-half times.
At the same time that the heart
Is growing, the bones and muscles
are also growing. In quite a few
young people, the growth is so rap
Id between the ages of twelve and
fifteen that the body seems out OF
prOpOrti0n-it looks gangling, and
the youth is awkward and clumsy;
he has poor posture and a slovenly
gait. His or her body features are
taking on the distinctive pattern
they viii carry through life.
Inside the body just as important
changes and gr0wths are going on.
The sex glands are developing, and
the heart, liver, kidneys and other
organs are assuming their differ
ent patterns. If we could look
through the skin, we would see
that the insides of bodies differ
from each other just as much as
the outsides do. The pattern Of
one persons heart or kidneys is as
certain to show weakness in early
life as the pattern of another per-
sons eyes is certain to require
glasses at an early age. The shape
of the heart In child will follow
the family pattern as often as the
shape of his nose WILL
But whether the pattern of the
heart is weak or strong, there Is an
increased burden on it during the
growing period. as great, If not
greater. than there is in adult life,
for, remember, the body attains its
growth at about sixteen years, while
the heart does not attain It's growth
until four years later. Sports and
physical activity are very good for
the normally healthy young person,
but too strenuous exercise can de-
velop what is known as athletes
heart" This is not so serious in it.
self, II the person learns how to
live with ii in his later years. But
parents should insist that the Cruel
ing physical training that often ac-
companies participation In cOmpeti-
tive sports, such as football, track
and rowing, should be done only un-
der the supervision of competent
coaches.
The injury done the heart by In
fectiOus diseases Is far more fire.
quent than the injury done by over
exertiOn.
The heart beats normally 72
times a minute After each beat 1t
has a moment of rest when Nature
intends that it shall recuperate
from its preceding moment Of work.
So when a rise in temperature
makes 1t beat 30 to 100 or 100
times a minute, then necessarily the
rest periods are shortened. This is
why everything be done to rest the
heart while the disease Is In prog
ress. and also why it is important
that the patient should remain quiet
for several days after recovering
from a disease.
In the states in the Great Lakes
basin, 1t Is common to encounter
goiter In adOlescent girls. These
girls are usually very intelligent,
making high grades, and they are
usually thin and nervous. They
have rapid pulses.
Parents and teachers should see
TO it that girls with adolescent goiter
should not exercise too strenuously.
They should be out in the open air,
but they should not engage in hard
play.
Nature meant that all young ami
mails should be active and frolic-
some as they pass through the
period from childhood to physical
maturity. When young people are
healthy and do not overtax them
selves in competitive sports during
too long a space of time, they come
out of the adolescent period with
atrong hearts.
G. Western Newspaper Union