Cathal Sheerin reports:
Athletes have always sought to gain an edge on
their fellow competitors by the use of dietary
supplements and other methods. At the first
Olympics in 776 BC, the ancient Greeks used oral
supplements made from cola plants and hashish, as
well as cactus-based stimulants. They also ate
sheep's testicles as an early form of
testosterone supplementation. Later, Roman
athletes opted for sexual abstinence and a more
masochistic method of performance-enhancement
they had their servannts whip them with
rhododendron branches until they bled, thereby
preparing them for the pain of competition.
During the 17th century, methods of
performance-enhancement were equally bloody, but
more invasive, as runners had their spleens
removed in the belief that it would increase
their speed: the operation sped a fifth of them
to early graves. In the late 1800s, athletes
experimented with ether-coated sugar cubes and
wine laced with cocaine to offset the pain and fatigue of competition.
The growth of international competition gave
extra impetus to those seeking an advantage over
their fellow athletes. Most famously, America's
Thomas Hicks won the 1904 Olympic marathon dosed
with raw egg, strychnine and brandy, all
administered to him during the race. Perhaps
unsurprisingly, he collapsed on crossing the
finish line and remained unconscious for several
hours - but he still got his gold medal.
<http://www.redpepper.org.uk/It-s-just-not-natural>Link
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Posted By johannes to
<http://www.monochrom.at/english/2008/08/sheeps-testicles-and-strychnine-history.htm>monochrom
at 8/16/2008 12:49:00 PM
