Managing asthma and exercise ...his life and his work

Emeritus Professor Alan Morton … an asthmatic who still plays rugby

Walking is good, swimming is even better, but stay away from cross-country skiing. 

After 32 years’ research into asthma and exercise, semi-retired exercise physiologist Alan Morton gives this advice for people who suffer asthma. 

“Nobody really knows why swimming is so good for asthmatics.  Perhaps it’s because they breathe in humidified air just above the water, as they swim. It’s cold dry air that is the enemy of asthmatics. That’s why cross-country skiing is so difficult: the air is very cold and very dry and each event takes a long time, which means a lot of exposure,” he said.

Emeritus Professor Morton, who still comes into his office in the Department of Human Movement and Exercise Science about twice a week, was recently awarded an honorary Doctorate from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, where he taught for two years before joining UWA in 1968.

The former world-class rugby player helped establish the sport program while he was there and he has kept in touch with his colleagues over the past 32 years. Some of the hundreds of books and papers published by Professor Morton and Adjunct Professor Ken Fitch on asthma and exercise have kept communication open between the two universities and, indeed, hundreds of universities around the world.

Professor Morton’s interest in asthma started out as purely personal.  “I am an asthmatic but I used to play Test rugby. I used to go through agony not being able to breathe because, all those years ago, there weren’t the medications available for asthmatic athletes to take before an event.”
 

He said that about 11 per cent of Australia’s Olympic athletes were asthmatic, including Dawn Fraser and Kieran Perkins. That’s indicative of the percentage of Australians who suffer asthma, one of the highest incidences in the world.

“Even if exercise provokes an asthma attack, it must become part of the management of the disease. It’s important for asthmatics, just like anybody else, to exercise regularly,” he said.

Part of his life-long research has been into what sorts of exercise are The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deryck Schreuder, is the new President of the Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee (AVCC).  He was elected by the heads of the other universities around the country for a two-year term, from January 2002.  Professor Schreuder said he was delighted on behalf of the University, as he believed his election reflected positively on the standing of UWA, its staff and students.

“If follows the pioneering work done in the AVCC Presidency by my Managing asthma and exercise ... Emeritus Professor Alan Morton … an asthmatic who still plays rugby best for asthmatics (“I tell people, get a dog, and walk it”) and what sort of medications work best for different people. “Every research study we did opened up more questions,” he said.

“There are as many different types of asthma as there are people, and everybody has to manage their own asthma individually.”

Professor Morton and Professor Fitch were contracted to help with drug testing at the Sydney Olympics.
“Ventilin, taken through the mouth, with a puffer is OK for athletes but taken in the much more virulent tablet form, it can affect an athlete’s heart rate. So it was banned but hard to pick up in urine tests. Ken and I had to work out a way it could be identified,” he said.

At the age of 67, three years after official retirement, Professor Morton still plays some touch rugby and tennis and walks his dog. He still takes medication to manage his asthma.

In the recent Queen’s Birthday honours list, he was made a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for his contribution to asthma and exercise research.

He is currently helping Notre Dame University set up a sport and recreation leadership course for Aboriginal people at its Broome campus. The main aim of the program is to improve the health of Aboriginal people through sport and physical activity.