An Illustrated History of Health and Fitness, from Pre-history to Our Post-modern World

This book examines the health/fitness interaction in an historical context. Beginning in primitive hunter-gatherer communities, where survival required adequate physical activity, it goes on to consider changes in health and physical activity at subsequent stages in the evolution of “civilization.” It focuses on the health impacts of a growing understanding of medicine and physiology, and the emergence of a middle-class with the time and money to choose between active and passive leisure pursuits. The book reflects on urbanization and industrialization in relation to the need for public health measures, and the ever-diminishing physical demands of the work-place. It then evaluates the attitudes of prelates, politicians, philosophers and teachers at each stage of the process. Finally, the book explores professional and governmental initiatives to increase public involvement in active leisure through various school, worksite, recreational and sports programmes.

Dr. R.J. Shephard, C.M., is Professor Emeritus of Applied Physiology in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education at the University of Toronto, and a consultant in Exercise Sciences. He was Director of the School of Physical and Health Education (now the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education) at the University of Toronto for twelve years (1979-1991), and also served as Director of the University of Toronto Graduate Programme in Exercise Sciences from 1964 to 1985.

During a varied career in the health sciences, he also served as a consultant to the Defence and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine, the Toronto Rehabilitation Centre, the Directorate of Active Living, Health & Welfare Canada, and the University of Quebec (Trois Rivieres). He has held academic appointments in the Dept. of Physiology and the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto, the Centre des Sciences de la Sante, Universite de Quebec a Trois Rivieres, and the Hopital Pitie Salpetriere, Universite de Paris, and was Canadian Tire Acceptance Limited Resident Scholar in Health Studies at Brock University from 1994 to 1998.

Prior to moving to Toronto in 1964, he held appointments in the Department of Cardiology (Guy’s Hospital, University of London), the High Altitude Research Unit of the R.A.F. Institute of Aviation Medicine, the Department of Preventive Medicine (University of Cincinnati) and the Applied Physiology section of the U.K. Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment (Porton Down, U.K.).

He holds four scientific and medical degrees from London University (B.Sc., M.B.B.S., Ph.D. and M.D.) and honorary doctorates from the University of Toronto, Gent University (Belgium), the Universite de Montreal, the Universite de Quebec a Trois Rivieres, and the University of Guelph, together with the Honour Award of the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology, the Honor Award and a Citation from the American College of Sports Medicine, and the Honor Award of the North American Society for Pediatric Exercise Medicine. He has been a President of the Canadian Association of Sports Sciences, a President of the American College of Sports Medicine, Editor-in-Chief of the Year Book of Sports Medicine, founding editor of the Exercise Immunology Review, Editor in Chief of the Canadian Journal of Sport Sciences, Associate Editor of the International Journal of Sports Medicine, and a member of the Editorial Board of many other journals. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014, in recognition of "his pioneering work in the field of exercise science and for promoting the health benefits of physical activity to Canadians."

As a part of his research into many facets of the physiology, biochemistry and immunology of health, fitness, exercise and sport, he has been author, part-author or editor of some 100 books covering these topics in relation to able-bodied individuals and those with various types of clinical disability, and he has published some 2000 scientific papers on related issues.