INFLUENCE OF SUGAR AND TOBACCO ON MUSCULAR EFFORT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5068, 29 September 1894, Page 2

INFLUENCE OF SUGAR AND TOBACCO ON MUSCULAR EFFORT.

(Lancet.) I . In 1892 an important series of experi- 1 ments wore undertaken hy Dr Warren | Lombard npon the influence of tobacco on j muscular effort. The same subject has ( been , investigated by Dr Vaughßn ] Harley, and the results of his observa- ! tions are recorded in the first part of the | Journal of Physiology for the present j year. Dr Vaughan Harley agrees with 5 Dr Lombard in considering that the | amount of work done by the flame sot of j muscles at different times of tho day j nndergoes periodical variation ; so we may ] accept a_ a fact that there is a diurnal • rise and fall in the power of doing volnn- ] tary muscular work, and in the Bame way | there is a diurnal rise and fall in bodily f temperature and pulse. It is remarkable, however, that instead of the greatest amount of work being done, as might have been expected, on rising in the morning, after a good night's rest, if is found that at 9 a.m. the smallest amount of work is accomplished, tho powers of doing muscular work in Dr Harley's case increasing each hour up to 11 a.m. Immediately after lunch there is a marked rise, followed an hour later by a fall, while again an hour later, or about 8 p.m., the amount of work ac-omplished j reaches its maximum. Then, from some i unexplained cause, there is a notable fall * at 4 p.m., which iB succeeded by a rise;! at 5 p.m., after whioh a progressive fall ! takes place during each successive hour | nntil dinner. Even during a prolonged ! fast more work was capable of boing I executed from 11.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. than j at 9 a.m. Dr Harley admits, however,} that further experiments are required to ! determine this point satisfactorily. It was | found in his experiments on the muscles j of the middle finger, that in corroboration } of a weli known phyeiologieal fact, regular ii exercise caused increase in the size of | the muscles brought into play, and at J the same time up to a certain point j tendered thorn capable of performing j more work. '$! Sugar, taken internally ) proved to be a muscular food, einco, ] when. taken on an empty stomach, there ! was oa that day an increase of 25-G per ! cent in the work done by the left middle ' finger, while the right middle finger Bhowed an increase of no 1e33 than 32-6 i per cent. .Dr Harley varied the experi-: merit of administering sugar in many ' different ways, but always with the same i result. The vigour of the muscles was ! alwaya augmented. The influence of tobacco was nob so marked in Dr Harley's | experiments as in those of Dr Lombard, i Dr Harley considers tbat moderate smoking in one accustomed to it neither increases the amount of work nor retards the approach of fatigue. It, perhaps, slightly diminishes muscular power and hastons the onset of fatigue. Dr Lombard, holds that, the use of tobacco has a powerful influence in thia direction. Such experiments as these, even when no absolutely definite result is arrived at, are of importance, and if carried out with due precautions against error, in a large number of. men, would undoubtedly constitute tbe meat satisfactory basis on which a Bound system of training should be carried out. W. Strange and Co. are now Bhowing enormous stocks of carpets, floorcloths, ltnd linoleums, and invite inspection.