EVILS OF OVER-TRAINING. 69 



These principles should be fully understood by e very- 

 owner and trainer of racehorses, or cases of i training 

 off,' 'losing all form,' 'going amiss,' and numerous 

 other verdicts, all arising from the very same cause, 

 will be of frequent occurrence, and reduce the stable to 

 little else than a hospital. And on this subject I can- 

 not do better than quote the remarks published in the 

 Lancet relative to the condition of the American 

 pugilist, J. C. Heenan, after his defeat by Tom King, 

 since it most vividly sets forth the insurmountable evil 

 of prolonging training beyond its proper limits — i.e., 

 to decay. It runs thus : — 



i Four or five hours after the termination of the fight 

 on the 10th inst., he arrived at a friend's house in Lon- 

 don. Mr. J. F. Clarke saw him immediately. He was 

 then suffering from great exhaustion. His face was 

 considerably disfigured, and there was a cut on the 

 right side of the upper lip, about half an inch in length, 

 which required a stitch. There were no bruises of 

 any consequence about the body, but there were a few 

 scratches on the chest. The action of the heart was 

 very feeble, and the pulse scarcely perceptible. Suitable 

 medicines were resorted to, under the influence of which 

 he gradually improved until the 13th. On the even- 

 ing of that day he had a fainting fit. On the 14th Dr. 

 Tanner saw him in consultation with Mr. Clarke. 

 He was then weak, his nights had been restless, and 

 there was considerable uneasiness on taking deep in- 

 spirations. On examining him, all marks about the 

 rhest had nearly disappeared, while the bruises on the 



