Physiology of bodily exercise / by Fernand Lagrange.

  • Lagrange, Fernand, 1846-1909.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Physiology of bodily exercise / by Fernand Lagrange. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    We may say that the respiratory fitness of the individual is the true regulator of a work of en- durance. In order that an exercise may be long continued the first condition is that it does not lead to breath- lessness. We can go on walking in spite of weary legs and sore feet; but we cannot go on running when we are out of breath. We saw in the chapter on Breathlessness that this form of fatigue is due to an intoxication of the blood by an excess of carbonic acid. To escape from this intoxication, which renders the con- tinuance of the work impossible, a man must eliminate the excess of carbonic acid as fast as it is formed, and, the formation of carbonic acid being in proportion to the quantity of work done in a given time, we may definitely conclude that in an exercise of endurance, the work of the muscles must be subordinated to the power of the-lungs. Thus all the conditions which increase the respiratory power increase the fitness for keeping up intense work for a long time, and a man has staying power when he has wind. II. The effects of exercise of endurance may be exactly deduced from the conditions in which this exercise is performed. Evidently an exercise which is incompatible with breathlessness will lead to none of the accidents of forced respiration. During such an exercise there will be no fear cf rupture of tendons, of laceration, or of excessive shaking of muscular fibres, for the movements must never become so violent as to exceed the power of resistance of the organs. Further, exercise of endurance does not sensibly disturb the working of the organs, hence in it there will be no very energetic association cf the great functions of the economy with the muscular work. In a man walking, for instance, there will not be the rapid rise of temperature, the copious perspiration, the excessive quickening of the pulse and the violent panting which we observe in a runner. Still we must not imagine that even the most moderate