THE KIDNEY PUNCH.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14657, 26 January 1912, Page 2

THE KIDNEY PUNCH.

SHOULD BE PROHIBITED. Dr. Oswald uttered a grave condemnation of the ■•Kidney punch,' a blow much favoured bj- professional boxers, in the course of a recent inquiry in England into the death of a man who, till recently, had been a boxer, known as "dinger Atkinson." It was established that the deceased, Timothy Atkison, a. dock labourer in his thirtieth year, died of syncope due to inflammation of the lungs, and that he was suffering from kidney trouble, in an advanced stage. In reply to the Corontr, deceased's widow said that her husband had often complained of tho kidne.v punch. The Coroner said that as Atkinson was a. boxer the question arose whether kidney disease r.ught not bo accelerated bj- "the kidney punch," which was a very common blow in boxing contests. He had always considered these blows on tho kidneys as extremely dangerous. Tho desire of a. boxer was not to kill his opponent, but to overcome him by blows, sometimes continued in the legion of the kidneys. He thought that tho National Snorting Club and those associated with boxing should prohibit the kidney punch in their

rules. They looked upon it ,b"::L~ig a man in the back ns a very cowardly offence, and the blows on tho buck when men were boding were almost as cowardly, for they fell upon a. part of a man's body least protected. Th&y were highly dangerous, and should be prohibited in boxing contests.