Why? The Science of Athletics

FOOD, FADS AND FACTS 333 . recently expressed by the doctors at the conference in New York ; secondly, that at Harvard they had then · tried the plan of engaging a qualified dietician whQ also possessed considerable hospital experience. It then trans– pired that for twenty-one years the steward had never served any fresh vegetables at the training tables, but had used only such things as cann~d peas, etc., in salads, which, as Dr. Richards pointed out, was quite enough to account for as marry as thirty-eight men at a time being down with gastro-intestinal trouble, diarrhcea, vomiting, and suchlike complaints ; whereas after the com– mencement of the new regime there were no such cases, although all sorts of things were served, including corned beef and cabbage, which nearly caused a riot among the men in training, until the merit of cabbage was properly explained to them. Another scheme instituted by Dr. Richards at Har– vard was that of giving men in training quantities of sugar in the form of candy and jam. This brought a protest from all the coaches that their charges would be afflicted by boils and diarrhcea. . This, however, did not happen, although the men consumed in the proportion of three vegetable dishes of jam or marmalade daily to each six men. This system showed an increase in physical efficiency, since the .men felt less exhausted after a big effort preceded by the absorption of a rather large amount of sugar as fuel. The Harvard authorities therefore went so far as to feed the men with hard cap.d;y before games and com– petitions, and again with beneficial results. Dr: Richards added : "I don't mean you can overload the body with candy and get away with it, but if you will tuck it in at the time when it is going to be burned up, it will help. Carbohydrates are burned faster than any other form of food in the body, with the exception of alcohol. Alcohol is another story. "Last winter I saw a track man collapse at the end of a 6oo metres run. He was done; his cork was pulled. There was no question about it. He was to run in a relay