ATHLETIC EXERCISES. jl 



perhaps not very generally known, that, though a dilute 

 solution of sugar very frequently di orders the stomach, by 

 running into the acetous fermentation, eaten in a dry or 

 solid form sugar hardly evei disagrees. 



The governor of a gymnasium, named Pythagoras, is ^^^ jatterly 

 said to have been the first who introduced the use of ani- animal. 

 mal food as part of the athletic regimen, in consequence 

 of having observed that it produced firmer flesh, and gave 

 more real muscular strength. Of meat, the antient Atkleice 



were restricted to the u^^e of pork. Galen asserts that pork P^rk preferred 

 • I 1 n 1 by the antieac*. 



contains more real nutriment than the ne:>h ot any other 



animal which is used as fot d by man ; this fact, he adds, 

 is decidedly proved by the example of the Athietcc, who, if 

 they lived but for one day on any other species of food, 

 found their vigour manifestly impaired the next. The prac- 

 tice of the anlients differs in this respect from that of the 

 modern trainers, who seem universally to prefer the use of beef 

 and mutton. Perhaps these animals were not brought to such 

 perfection, as the food of man, in antient, as they have 

 been in modern times. The antients occasionally ate goat's 

 flesh, which was reckoned highly nutritious, but it is said 

 to have imparted a most f{£tid and disagreeable odour to 

 the bodies of those who used it. The preparation of meat 

 by roasting, or broiling, was universally preferred to °^ ^ * 

 boiling, in which process they conceived a great part of 

 the nutritive juices of the meat were lost in the water. Bread 

 made of -the whole flour, and unfermented (panis azymusj Bread not fcr- 

 was preferred to that prepared with leaven, I have myself naented. 

 heard a seafaring man observe that he w as always sensible 

 of a diminution of muscular strength when he left off the 

 use of biscuit, and ate common bread. For breakfast they 

 took a little dry bread ; but after the exercises of the day 

 were over, they always eat to satiety, and were sometimes 

 even forced to gorge themselves with food. Milo of Cruto- The foot! U 



• 1 1 , ,^/> great quanUty, 



na IS said to have consumed fifty pounds of solid food in but d.ink 

 one day. Their drink was water or some species of thick *^^'^'"^' 

 sweet wine. But they were allowed a very small quantity 

 of fluid. This dry diet seems to have constituted an es- 

 sential and important part of their regimen. 



They 



