Evening Telegraph, Monday 24 May 1897 It appears that these symptoms were carefully construed to directly contrast the soft and fine features that were widely considered beautiful at the time. According to the physicians and many critics, developing an unsightly face was not the only danger women cyclists faced. One physician in particular, a Dr A. Shadwell, was a staunch critic of women on bikes. In 1897, he published a highly controversial article in the National Review London titled ‘The hidden dangers of cycling’. It outlined the wide range of medical problems in great detail which, according to Shadwell, included internal inflammation, exhaustion, bicycle face, appendicitis, dysentery and nervous attacks. Shadwell’s assessment was widely criticised and contested by cycling enthusiasts, both male and female. They argued that the physical benefits far outweighed any imagined ailments the activity may cause and that the activity was fantastic way to improve ones health and vitality. Opposition to cycling on medical grounds began to disappear in the 1890s as the activity was embraced by the upper class. The popular book ‘Womens Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation’ cited bicycle face as an example of failures by medical doctors to understand and treat women appropriately and responsibly
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 09:44:27 +0000
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