ATHLETE'S HEART

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19886, 13 March 1939, Page 12

ATHLETE'S HEART

OPINION OF DOCTORS NO EFFECT ON FIT RUNNER As ithe result of a suggestion from the Otago Centre that secondary schoolboys should be prohibited from competing in more than four events at an athletic meeting, owing to the danger to their hearts, the council of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association decided at a recent meeting to obtain an opinion from medical authorities on the matter. The replies were forwarded to the Hawke's Bay-Poverty Bay Centre and were discussed at a recent meeting. Dr. Malcolm Grey, in his reply, stated that it was .generally agreed that no amount of exertion could injure a healthy heart. The trouble arose when 'boys, with a sense of nvaivy. forced; .themselves to run when, they were not fit. "In my experience, said Dr. urej, -even a dose of influenza, or a cold, combined with over-exertion, is sufficient to cause .serious injury to the heart; such injury is quite capable of causing « year's invalidism. "If this fact is emphasised to noatirriadtera and sports masters," he said "I am sure that «his variety of heart trouble .could '.all be cut out I would emphasise to them," ho said, that no boy should he allowed to run unless lie ,is absolutely fit.' Replies were received from seven other medical authorities, mosttyin agreement with the opinion of Di. G On the motion of Mr, A. D. Lynch, it was decided to suggest to the New ZcSnd a sociation that the opinion ot the medical authorit es Should be passed on to the educational author ities.