"THE VALUE OF EXERCISE."

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3484, 6 September 1882, Page 4

"THE VALUE OF EXERCISE."

" The valuo of exercise " is always dependent on the special needs of the particular organism exercised. Tho body, as a whole, inclusive of the brain, and, therefore, of what wo are wont to call " the mind," is composed of a number of essentially separate, though combined, contributory, and independent, parts or apparatus. Health is the result of the harmonious working together of these systems. Each one for itself obeys the universal law that a living organism feeds as it works ; but as all, so to say, dine afc the same tabic, if one is unduly—that is, excessively—exercised, so that ifc requires a disproportional food, some other parts or part, perhaps the weakest, will be deprived of its natural supply, and suffer in consequence. Speaking generally, it may bo said that the food of the entire body is supplied from a central and common source, that each system nourishes itself as its special needs or impulses require, and tbat its consequent strength or energy is dependent upon and centred in the local apparatus. Thus somo individuals are well nourished and energetic as regards their mental system, while they aro starved and weakly of body. _ Others, again, are muscular, but deficient in mind-power. If any one part of the body, as a whole, be overworked or underfed, ifc is not likely to be beneficial, but the reverse, to overwork some other parfc. Nothing is gained by exhausting one parfc of tho organism, because another is exhausted. Practically " overwork " means •work that does not strengthen, but weakens. Ifc may either bo excessive in quantity or bad in quality. Whatever the defect may be, ib must be remedied locally —-that is to say, as regards the system which is afc fault, nofc by setting some other system in action. In those case which seem to be benefitted by prescribing muscular exercise for mental work and worry entailing sleeplessness, the good gained is nofc due to the exercise of the muscular system, but to the relief of the brain. Only in so far a» increased muscular exercise may quicken the pulse and promote assimilation doos the physical eiercise of the brain-worker advantage his mental health. Ifc is physiologically impossible to repair the defects of nutrition in one parfc of the organism by making some other work and feed. '1 here is, however, always behind and underlying these special considerations that all important one to which we alluded jnsfc now—namely, that health consists in tho harmonious working together of all tho parts or systems of the organism. Therefore to establish a normal state, the wise liver should bo order his life and work as to give every part of his organism a sufficient incentivo to nutrition. This can only be accomplished by ensuring the activity of the body and mind throughout. General exorcise must bo made up of particular exercises, as general sleep is tho cum of particular sleeps.—Lancet.