Personal hygiene and physical training for women

by Anna M. Galbraith

Heat Production.—By watching a muscle when contracting, we see that there is not only a change of shape, but a dilatation of its blood-vessels, that is, more blood passes through a muscle when it is contracting than when it is at rest, and this increased flow continues for some little time after the contraction has ceased; there is also a rise of temperature. Nearly three-fourths of the heat developed in the body is produced in the muscles at the actual moment of muscular contraction. Hence, we learn that the whole body is heated by muscular exercise; the even temperature of the various parts is maintained through the circulation of the blood. This combustion, going on throughout the entire economy, is the source of all force or energy in the body. In every movement, every breath taken, in the change even of a muscle of expression or the conception of a passing fancy, combustion has occurred and potential force has been liberated.

Muscular Fatigue.—The fatigue produced by muscular contraction may be due to the consumption of the readily available material present in the muscle, to the consumption of the supply of oxygen, or to the presence of the products of combustion, and, if Weichardt’s theory is correct, to these must be added the presence of a definite “fatigue toxin.”

During repose the internal changes of the tissue manufacture new explosive material out of the comparatively raw material already present in the fiber, and the directly hurtful products of the act of combustion are either carried off, or undergo changes by which they are converted into comparatively inert bodies. A stream of fresh blood may exert its restorative influence, not only by quickening both of these events, but also by carrying off the immediate waste-products, while, at the same time, it brings new raw material.

Every movement of the body depends as much upon the proper coördination of the muscles for its accuracy, grace, and force as upon the strength of their contraction, and while the fatigue, of which we are conscious in our own bodies after prolonged or unusual exertion, arises partly from the exhaustion of the motor nerves, it is chiefly from the exhaustion of the central nervous system concerned in the production of voluntary impulses. A man who feels absolutely exhausted may, under excitement, perform a very large amount of work with his already wearied muscles. The will rarely, if ever, calls forth the greatest amount of contraction of which the muscle is capable.

Passive Exercise: Massage.—Massage has been defined as the systematic manipulation of the surface of the body by the hands of the operator in movements of stroking, pinching, kneading, and striking. The passive movements consist of flexions, extensions, rotations, and other movements of joints and limbs by an operator or machine without the coöperation or resistance of the patient.

Massage takes the place of voluntary muscular movement, in promoting the flow of lymph and the flow of venous blood toward the heart, if the proper direction, that of rubbing toward the heart, be followed; while, on the contrary, rubbing down a limb or from the heart actually retards the process which it is meant to facilitate. Gentle rubbing of any part of the body promotes growth, while vigorous rubbing removes superfluous fat.

Massage finds its widest field of usefulness in conditions of fatigue, where the elimination of waste matter must be assisted, and where the nutrition of a part is impaired or destroyed. Muscles can be improved in size, tone, and nutrition; ligaments can be stretched and lengthened, the general circulation accelerated, and overloaded veins made to disgorge their blood. The digestive tract can be stimulated, and overwrought nerves soothed and relieved of their hypersensibility.

The nourishment of the muscle-cell is improved by forcing out the products of fatigue and keeping it bathed in a constantly renewed stream of arterial blood. This alone is sufficient to prevent wasting of substance in conditions where active movements are impossible.

Massage relieves the nervous system by maintaining the nutrition of the muscles, without the expenditure of nerve force required to make them contract. It acts on the central nervous system through the nerves of sense, stimulating or soothing them, according to the nature and the amount of the manipulation.

Mosso and Maggiora, of Turin, have proved, by their experiments as to the effect of massage on the muscles, that muscles were capable of doing twice as much work after massage. It was also discovered that extending of the period of the massage did not produce any greater results in the capacity for work; the full effect was obtained in five minutes.