Salt Lake Telegram | 1930-07-11 | Page 2 | Daily Health Service

DAILY HEALTH SERVICE I C Collapse lI of Athletes in Races j jI j I ros Possibly S Saves ves Their Lives A 9 Q b- b By 0 DR R. R MORRIS FISHBEIN It is not unusual not to see men men collapse eel col lapse during or al att athe the end cna of ot a ahard ahard ahard hard race rate When the man collapses he has the thoi appearance ar nce i of t utter exhaustion gasping gasping- for air Ir complaining of pain and with his pulse rapid and fluttering He Ho ma may be nauseated his body perspire freely and yet he feels reels cold Various reasons have been beem suggested sug sug- suggested as tho the cause causo of this col col- I lapse It has been een argued that It is lis due to th the lack of sugar sugar sugar-In in the blood because tho athletic contests has used up tho the energy reserve of the tho body It has hils been said to bo be due to dilation of the heart or even to rupture of the tho heart valve In order to establish definitely whether hethel or or not dilation of the heart takes place Dr T. T 1 K Richards tested hearts of Harvard varsity and freshmen cross country squads I also tho the hearts of various visiting cross country squads as well welt as ast t those ole of distance runners of International International Inter Inter- I national fame tame I 1 Studies of oC the size of tho the heart were made mado bY iby the use of oC the X-ray X and films were made Indicating the size of tho the heart before beCore the raco race and after the men mca had hall completed the contest It was wa noted that the the r race ce W was waa II consistently smaller than when at rest Tho hearts of distance runners runner who had had many years of competition compe compo competition ri showed tho the greatest decrease in the transverse diameter after racing The hearts of men men in collapse collapse collapse col col- lapse unconscious after long races were found to be smaller and conr contracted contracted con con- and to D o be bo making less Jess of a r movement than was norm normally lh the case As the mans man's condition improved and he regained consciousness 1 dilation dUll and contraction tilt Df heart Increased no so that Bernet m t tafter after several hours hour the heart hearth I a dilated heart t tIt It has hils been shown that mi Jn i cramp may occur duo to toen anie e II In lactic acid following and it is tho belief of Dr Dr that tho the contracted hearts of ot 1 I leter especially th Bi In Itt eta i collapse arc are the result of a form fora muscle cramp due perhaps perl to 01 of 0 use uee It seems seem a possible that collapse results from a lack oti 11 In the brain and that it natures nature's method of ot protecting life tire of or the tho man an by incapacity him for movement nt un until his be h recovers enl fc hj