Evening star., 1939-02-16
Worry About
Health Is
UnWise
Barring Boy From
Active Sports
Not Serious
BY ANGELO PATRI.

Before a boy enters an athletic
contest his heart Is tested. OF
courso IL the examining physician
flnds any trouble he bars the boy
from entering. Sometimes the doc
tor leans toward discretion, as he
ought, and keeps q boy OF the track
just to be on the safe side. II the
boy Is the usual healthy youngster
he understands that the doctor
means just what he says, There's
nothing to worry about, but to be
on the safe side, to make sure we
won't have any trouble, you'd better
stay out today. You are growing
pretty fast and we don't want any
extra strain just now. I'll look you
over next week again."
Now and then one of the boys Is
nervous. He worries over anything
that happens to him that is 1T all
unusual. When he is barred by the
doctor he begins to imagine things.
The doctor surely wouldn't have
kept him out If he wasn't sick. His
heart u bad. He knows 1t now. He
can hear 1t beating. Funny he
hadn't noticed. But the doctor knew
right OIL. Heart disease. People die
Of that. What II he were going to
die? That's likely enough. He Is
going to die Of heart trouble.
The worst of this situation is that
the boy Is likely to keep this trouble
to himself and gnaw at it in secret
until it makes him downright Ill.
Boys have done this before now. One
Of the worst things that can hap
pen to boys heart is for him to
concentrate on it and worry about
it. Hearts need no worrying about,
and If they did small good it would
do them.
Hearts are tough. They are about
the toughest part Of the human
body. They can stand tremendous
wear and tear, and they do. His
heart, then, is the last organ In the
boys body that should give him
cause for concern. II he just lets
it 60 about its business, as it Is in
tended to do, 1t will keep right on
going and attend to its own health.
Worrying about it, listening to 1t,
counting its beat, testing it to see
how soon it can be speeded up and
how soon afterward it can be slowed
down, just brings on trouble. Hearts
dislike any interference with their
affairs.
Boys in their early teens are
usually growing fast. Their organs
are taking on new growth, expand
ing, in preparation for the added
work they must do in the years Of
their maturity, coming along now
50 fast. It is not surprising to ind
a weakness or two. Not at all sur
prising to find an occasional boy
with heart murmur.
When one is discovered the boy
is told about it and his parents are
told. too. The doctor makes . few
suggestions for the boys good and
that Is all there Is to it. II the care
is given the boy, If he accepts the
restrictions put upon his activities
for . little while, the heart takes
care Of itself and the murmur dis
appears.
But, If the boy does not take care,
II he disobeys instructions, his heart
may not have the chance to build up
Its strength. Or, If the boy gets
frightened ut the words, Heart muir
mur." and worries himself sick about
1t, his heart will not gain strength
and power as 1t would II he left it
to take care Of itself.
In any case, the less said the
better. Just give the heart a chance
and leave it alone. It is not given
to us to count our heart beats. They
have been counted for us long ago,
and they are cared for beyond our
wisdom in the caring.