History of Physical Activity in Medicine. Dr Chernoviz in Brazil – IV
The writings of Chernoviz, in te 19th century, included comments on several exercises:
Walking: it would increase muscle contractility,
accelerating circulation and breathing. It would cause concussions in all the soft
organs, favoring their action. The walk would be suitable for convalescents,
for whom strong exercises would not be indicated. It would not serve the
melancholic because it would allow them to concentrate on their concerns,
thus increasing suffering.
Dancing: to be useful to health it should not be
practiced right after food, nor in a space with a high concentration of
practitioners, nor should it last all night. It would be the main female
exercise and contribute to the establishment of menstrual flow. The dance would
give men who practiced it, with professional intensity, forms that would
approach that of women.
Running: it would develop the lower limbs and the
respiratory system. As it is an intense activity, it could cause blood sputum,
cardiac circulatory problems and other accidents.
Hunting: it would be one of the most useful exercises:
it would develop the senses and the whole organism. The hunter, continually
exposed to all the weather in the seasons, could acquire the precious faculty
of being insensitive to its influences. The locomotor system would be
positively influenced. The pursuit of hunting would seem to some authors an
effective way to extinguish the feathers of love. The hunter would be almost
reduced to the passions of an isolated man, without knowing ambition, envy and
avarice. Not all individuals would be able to hunt and many could suffer
chronic illnesses as a result of practicing it. Some ways of hunting would be
harmful; sometimes the hunter, forced to cross swampy places, would often be
affected by rheumatism or malaria. The motionless hunter, daring to breathe
only to be able to catch the prey, would receive all the action of a humid or
hot air, without being able to escape its effects. Fencing: it would be one of
the exercises with the most intense action on different muscles and organs. It
would expand the chest cavity and expand lung activity, in addition to
stimulating visual activity.
Swimming: This exercise would be the most useful and
enjoyable. It would prevent losses from sweating and allow a very active
practice, which could not be carried out if there were such losses. It would
therefore be one of the most precious resources against the destructive action
of heat. The good effects of swimming would not only result from muscle
movement; they would also come from the cold temperature of the fluid in which
the body moves. This type of exercise would be particularly suitable for
fragile children. It could not be done at all times and at any time.
It would be prudent to enter the water before digestion is fully finished. The
most convenient time to swim would be in the morning before the first meal, or
in the afternoon before the last.
Chernoviz also mentioned some games played at the
time. The “pela”, precursor of tennis; the “palamalho” which was
a ball propelled by a wooden pole with a long handle; billiards, and skipping
rope. He also gave special prominence to badminton which he recommended
especially for women, stating that it gave them “posture and grace to the body,
accuracy to the sight and justice to the judgment”.
posted by Nilton Arnt @ 1:10 PM
