The bones of the skeleton do not rest one upon another; they are jointed, and kept slung in position by springing bands of muscle attached to their levers. If these muscles are not properly developed, they tire under the strain of holding the frame up, and a disastrous rearrangement of the organs is made to save labour. The chest is drawn in, the hips and knees thrust forward, and the man stands with cramped chest, compressed viscera, and his diaphragm under dire constraint. The result of the redistribution of weight is that his bones tend to rest upon one another like a column of bricks, and his whole weight is upon his heels. Such an individual cannot walk; he stumps along, jarring his whole body at every step. A pleasant contrast is the athlete. The athlete is a man who endeavours to develop the latent powers of his body to the utmost; and in the achievement of this desirable object the physiologist takes great interest. Physiology has revolutionized our ideas of training, as well as many other things, during the last half-century. We now recognise two kinds of training—the preparation which a healthy man makes for an occasion on which unusual exertions will be expected of him, and the slower and permanent strengthening of the whole body, now usually called physical culture. The former is a comparatively short process now that athletes no longer think it _de rigueur_ to live in bestial intemperance when they have no contest in immediate prospect. A little extra exercise, to stimulate excretion and clear away any waste products that may have accumulated in the tissues; a little extra proteid in the diet, since there is at first a slight inclination to growth; a good deal of extra carbohydrate, since the muscles want extra fuel; rest—and the man is ready. Many athletes live continually in training, and are ready at any moment to ‘fight for their lives.’ The second kind of training is for those who are weakly or those who wish to excel. Its object is not only to improve the health, but to increase the absolute strength and size of the body, and its effects are permanent. It necessitates careful diet and constant exercise for a long period, and proves equally beneficial to both sexes. This book has been written in vain if the reader has not grasped by now that the activity of the muscles implies the activity of all the organs in the body. Accordingly, the whole muscular system is by appropriate methods given frequent exercise: gentle at first; never exhausting; but constantly increasing as the strength grows. The result is a general development of the organs throughout the body, which will in time work a complete metamorphosis in the individual’s physique.