def interpret_as_slice(column):
    """Interprets the 'column' argument of loadFitnessHistory into a slice()"""
    if column is None:  # No specific column is requested, return everything
        return slice(None)
    elif isinstance(column, int):  # One specific column is requested
        return slice(column, column + 1)
    elif len(column) == 2 and all(isinstance(val, int) for val in column):  # Multiple columns are requested
        return slice(*column)
    else:  # 'column' does not match expected format
        raise Exception("Invalid format for 'column': {col}".format(col=column))