HEALTH COLUMN.

Otago Witness, Volume 30, Issue 2353, 30 March 1899, Page 54

HEALTH COLUMN.

EXERCISE AND OVER-EXERCISE.

In an address delivered by Dr Lauder Brunton before the York Medical Society, and printed in the Quarterly Medical Journal, the benefits of exercise and the dangers of overexercise are well described. It is pointed out that in every way exercise tends to increase nutrition and to greater growth. Punch, who with marvellous impartiality has for so long portrayed, week by week, the varying aspects of society, is an oracle who may "fitly be consulted in regard to the effects of that muscular exercise which for the last 20 years has played so large a part in the education of girls. "It is very interesting and instructive," says Dr Brunton, "to compare the sketches in Punch of girls playing croquet, by Leech, and a game of lawn tennis by Dv Maurier. In Leech's sketches we se3 that the girls ar.* smaller, the exertion they make is slight, and their movements are not only stiff, but they exercise only a few muscles; while Dv Maurier's girls are tall, strong, lithe, and graceful ; and, in striking the ball, put every muscle in their body into actne exercise. Now, in lawn tennis or polo there is. more general movement of the whole body than in croquetj cricket, or golf, and it is just possible that the increased growth in recent years of girls, aa compared with their brothers, may be due to more general exercise of the musqjes in lawn tennis by them, as compared with the more restricted action in playing cricket." If, then, we accept the broad fact that exercise is good, and that its effect is to increase muscular strength and bodily development, we have to ask, Why docs still further exercise cease to be good, and what do we rcean by over-exercise ? First, we must draw a broad distinction between the effect of con-stantly-maintained exertion which is required in certain trades and the alternating contiaclion a>jd relaxation of all the muscles of the body, which is the characteristic of games and athletics of all kinds. That constantlymaintained effort, or' motonous repetition of tho same movement tends to exhaustion rather than nutrition goes without saying ; but taking ordinary so-called healthy exercise, by what is its limit set? The limit appears to be set by three factors : (1) The capacity of the digestive organs to keep up the quality of tho blood ; (2) the capacity of the excretory organs to get rid of the waste products which result from miiiculai action; and (3) the power of tho heart to drive a. constant stream of blood through every corner of the organism.

Interference with digestion is a by no means uncommon effect of excessive exercise, and 8' far as training is concerned, it is one of the mo 5 t destructive. The blood cannot flow in full stream to every part at once. As Dr Lauder Brunton pays, '" livery one knows that while moderate exercise tends to produce appetite, a long and exhausting exertion tends to destroy the appetite, and even to produce actual sickness, a one finds in mountain climbing." People differ greatly in this respect, but in sonic — great ponderous men as they may seem — the digef-liou is so -easily upset by muscular exercise that, although they may bo giants for a momentary exertion, anything like sustained effort disturbs digestion, and cuts at the very root of tlioir nutrition, tn many cabas, however, the limit to exerciso lies in diminished excretion. Unless the excretory organs are thoroughly efficient tho tissues become crowded with products which, cannot be pot rid 01, tho senses become dimmed, and effort becomes a mere aulomalism, in consequence of a self-poisoning by the products of muscular waato.

So far we have dealt with what may fitly be termed the automatic checks to over-exer-cise. luterferenco with digestion so lowers nutrition, while accumulation of waste products so poicons the system, that in either case further exertion becomes impoesible^ — ths very 'will to make it pnspes away. But it in different in rognrcl to the heart. The heart, nltheugh strainc], may yet be driven on to ils own destruction. Every muscular effort not only demands from the heart an increasocl flow of blood, but also drives an increased quantity towards it. Ho long as me heart can pass thin forward all is well, but when it fails, not merely is the circulation of the blood rendered imperfect, but Serious damage is done lo the heart itselt. If when the heart was over-driven it merely struck, the enfpobled circulation would soon put a slop to further effort. The willing heart, however, taking at each beat a wide* bweep, and driving into the vessels a larger quantity of blood, so meets the call that the athlete can struggle on. perhaps to win his race. But the strained heart suffers, the stretched muscle does not quite come back, the dilated, cavity docs not quite clote at each contraction, and pernianent miFchief is set up. Thus it is that exercise driven to the limit imposed by the heart ia over-exercise in the most scrioui sense of tha word. If it is the heart that stops it, tho chances are that it has already gone too far. — • Hospital.

How to Destroy Diseases. — Mr Tesla, in a paper recently read before the ElectroTherapeutical Society, " claimed to have discovered a means of safely applying an electrical cm-rent of millions of volts to the hrman body, thereby destroying .the bacilli of all diseases, including that of tuberculosis.' Mr Tesla's theory apparently is that each cell of the human organism is a tinyelectrical battery. This powerful current stimulates its action and causes oxidation of tli? tissue, which kills the bacilli. The current is not sent through the body, but runs along the surface. It not only destroys the bacilli, but renews the energy of the body Another electrician, imititing Mr Tesla, is reported tc be preparing a patent of a similar invention. He proposes to incarcerate the patient in a glass ca^c and apply a tremendous current to tho outside of the glass. This material not being an absolute non-conductor, the current is diffused over the outside of the case and permeates all parts of the human body, and kills the germs and replenishes energy. The patient steps forth a new man. JNew York scientific men are inclined to be sceptical regarding the alleged discoveries.

— Coco is Spanish for bogey, and it is said that the cocoanut was thus named for ijts resemblance to a distorted human face. Valuable Discovery for the Hajb. — If your hair is turning or white, or falling off, use the " Mexican Hair Renewer," for it will positively restore in every cane Grey or White Hair to its original colour without leaving the disagreeable smell of most " restorers." It makes the hair charmingly beautiful, as ■well as promoting the growth of the hair on bald spots where tho glands are not decayed. Ask your chemist for " The Mexicak H.ub Kemewkr." Sold by chemitts and perfumera everywhere ut 3s Cd i er bottle. Wholesale depot, 88. Farriugdoa 1995, London, England,— Apvr,