TRAINING FOR ATHLETIC SPORTS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1, 5 January 1907, Page IV (Supplement)

TRAINING FOR ATHLETIC SPORTS.

Bv

ROBT, H. BAKEWELL, M.D.)

At t pre-ent *ea>«*n a f*-u remarks on training. from the mrdival t - int of ' ’ - - - by the majority of my The widespread— I mig t almost *av th*- universal —interest taken In atM-ik -r« rts in 1 stness w ich they are practise*!. r nder it neees--81 _ _ era. y are governed by very rigorous rul< ire summed up in the word nt ends to compel with other* ft r prizes in athletic ga r - - that *•*”>• kind - f :ra : - ing is abs t ssai f s ss is ; - it that t s ssful com petit s • - -, - - " great ssf torties sport sport ■ It is s that ■’_ . ■ throwing -he hammer wil* liffer in many important spects f t lat : oat race. 1 tent f going into t minutia fti ii ng i - * -• rts, as t t I require a s| ledge that I d not pos-ess --- - - who havt nsnlttd having made s g s es oi th ff - : s . rt ion on the i is and ting syst 1 propose to set d ■- ft n clusi< ns at ■ rriv e i liter many years* observation and experience. For success in any athl tie competition w-rti considering in this respect. *. e•a nd Mate requires I a sound C’-u--stitution. 2 good ealt nd 3 supers ski ii part

rhe first m I see >nd f these e. nditi. - tn ■ ■'‘ judged of by a skilful and xp« rieneed physiei tn. The third belongs to the trainer's d< main, and is t j sul - t t the ju igment f the physician en the training appears t< be so severe as to - letrimental t< she general Every young man w c proposes to go in f> r any prize competition in any at - I tie sport - u!d first submit himself for examination to a properly qualified tneii a] man. I lon't mean a "legallyjualified n tn. because there are shoals of ■■’egally" (ua'ified medical practitioners '.vli. fr.-nt youth and inexperience ar- juite - ■ le t lete - those slight

*y’u| toms iiibt early signs of consrituri* rial which sh«»w to the experienced man that the patient has not a good | ■ 'j.;< town under a severe sirain. T e would-be athletic competitor ’hvuld never have had the s'ightest yymp'. . 7 <-• n-umption or any other tul er ulous disease, or of rh umatic fever, or of typhoid of a severe type necessitating ■ ng nvarescecce. . : any recent attack of ac-ute dis ase. He ■ ■ . •• teudei - ron itis. uu.i -• • add ro t have suffered from any severe attack of indamma ion of the bi*-!’., hial tube-, pneumonia, or pleurisy, all of which impair the capacitv of the

lungs or heart. The heart, of course. sa*»uki be perfevtiy sound as to its structure and free from any trace, even the sIM test, of valvular disease. The blood, which should be examined under the micr»:»scope. should be healthy. There should be no trace or suspicion of sypriilis. The kidneys should be sound, and the liver also. Functional derangement . f th liver, such as are-comprised in th popular term biliousness, will be cunM. in the process of training, and so also ?f the digestive organs. The would be t.thltte -hould be r*.;*>roughly candid in his statements to the

medical man. and should mention any illness that has compelled him to keep liis bed. for however short a time. He should also mention any accidental injury he may have received, especially any fracture or dislocation of any bone, or any severe sprain of a joint. He should state whether cuts or bruises of the skin heal up rapidly, or have a tendency to fester. Apart from any other symptom I should hesitate about advising any man. cither very considerably above or below the mean weight of his height to engage in an athletic contest. It is generally known that by measurements taken of many thousands of healthy recruits for the army, the average weight of a man is known pretty accurately, and any considerable deviation from these weights may he looked on as suspicious, and showing some constitutional or organic detect. The following table explains itself. Tt may prove useful for some of my readers. It will be easy to make the calculations required:—■ Average weight for height, with chest tn>-a.nireni>-iit, of a man. dressed, aged 30. Whe welghr tends tn middle life to Increase with age. so that about three-quarters of a pound should be deducted for each adult ye.ir under the age of 30. aud added for each year above that age.

Now. with regard to chest expansion. In the above table the chest is sup-p.-e<l to lie measured by a tape passed round the body at the level of the nipples. No one can do this for himself, »< it is impossible for him to see whether the tape is at the same level all round the body. Unless this is accurate-

ly adjusted the nieasurem-nts will l-e useless.

It is a curious fact that only a few people know how to inflate their lungs to the full extent. The great majority, when asked to "draw a full breath.” give something between a gasp and a sigh, and do not expand the chest at all. This is particularly noticeable in candidates for life assurance, who are usually in such a state of nervousness that they do not know what they arc doing. Others give a sudden and rapid inspiration which jerks the tape out of the doctor’s hands. Some -ire so excessively nervous that no reasonable delay will put them into a proper condition, and it is necessary io have a second interview. I need hardly say that these exhibitions of super sensitiveness show that the man is quite unfitted for taking ]>art in any athletic competition. Where athletic competitions are taken as seriously as they are in these colonies, it is necessary for the doctor to treat Hie case as seriously. He must not. give any opinion, or any hint of his opinion, until he has made a complete examination, unless he discovers something at once (such as heart disease) which admits of no doubt. He should, nefore commencing the examination, and as soon as he knows what will lie required of him, tell the patient(if a stranger) that the examination will be a lengthy one, and that he cannot on any account omit any essential part of it. If he does not do this a perfectly healthyyoung man, who has never, as be expresses it,“been under the doctor's hands before,” is apt to get very much alarmed, and think there is something seriously the matter. 1 have known a healthy man’s pulse run down to 40, and another run up to 120 from sheer funk. It is a perpetual source of puzzle to me. what these folk think we can or will do to them. Let us suppose that the examination results in a favourable verdict, and that the athlete is passed as all sound. Then should come, the advice as to the training, its character, and the length of time it should go on before the contest. With these points I propose to deal in my next paper. But suppose that the doctor detects some weak point, of which, perhaps, the candidate has no suspicion, he will have to tell him that lie cannot advise him to go in for the competition. Personally. I should say no more than I could help, unless I could fully explain the case. If, however, the candidate insists on having the whole truth, of course he is entitled to have it. Sometimes a man is fool enough to come, and ask for a candid opinion, and then get very angry when it is given, and resent it as a personal affront. It is of no use arguing with people of this stamp. The ma jority are rather inclined to exaggerate the importance of the doctor's opinion. Arthur-strcet, Onehunga, December 17 th, 1906.

=r~. «;< *:.-u-cr Height. < J—• •-• Weight. • n Cl u .. -1 - 4- . ■- *. Chest CIituiti- ■". T i £ < • • -• fereuce. M Oft S’ LI S’ 91 S’ - Height. - M — -U T rt — 1. il u r Weight. O = - a x — x 7 Chest Cireumz z 2 7 jj = a ference.