History of Research on Physical Activity and Health: Selected Topics, 1867 to the 1950s

Abstract

Health is an elusive term. So is fitness. Discoveries and developments in the biomedical sciences affect how people think about both health and fitness, as so do a host of social and cultural factors. A judicious use of history can be useful when it sheds light on such matters, and so doing helps researchers to think more comprehensively about contemporary issues and practices. This paper briefly examines two topics that were of interest to educators, physicians, and some researchers in the physiological sciences between 1867 and 1950: the phenomenon referred to as “the athlete's heart” and anthropometrical/growth and development studies. Historians of exercise science, physical education, and sport might undertake more studies in which the historical record is examined from the perspectives of the biologist, the nutritionist, and/or the epidemiologist.

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