The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-11-02
wakefulness from Ovsrwork.

Asymptom of mental exhaustion, indi.
catiye of a very great degree of mental
strain, ia persistent waketuluess: Inc
physiological cause of this condition is
of the brain there is an increased flow OF
blood to the working organ, the vessels
of the head and neck become dlstended
with blood, as is shown by the hushing OF
the face. If .;is condition OF dlstension
is long continued, the vessels are apt TO
lose the power of contracting when mental
activity is diminished. Hence arises the
impossiblity of fulfilling the physical con.
ditions of sleep, the most important OF
which is the diminutfon Of the flow OF the
vital fluid to the brain. Some extraordln-
ary instances have been recorded of pro,
lonred wakefulness as a result OF mental
oyerstrain. Boerhave mentions that whens
on one occasion, intently engaged on
particular study, he did not close his eyes
in sleep for six weeks. Sir Gilbert Blame
was informed by Gen. Pichegrue that, Tor
whole year. wien lei ehs age honr in the
twenty four. These and other similar
cases have probably been unconsciousiy
exaggerated, for people often sleep with
out having an after consciousness OF the
fact. 1t is certain that the continued de-
priyation of any considerable part of the
normal amount of sleep will be seriously
detrimental to health. DR.. Hammond, IN
his work on sleep, mentions the case of
literary man in America who, for nearly
year, while intently engaged in favorlte
study, restricted his period of rest to four
hours a day, aud frequently less. At the
end of that time the everlasting of his
mental powers was manifested in a curious
way. He told the physician that, though
still able to maintain connected line OF
reasoning, he found that as soon as he at
tempted to record his ideas Oh paper the
composition turned out to be simply It's
Of act
of writing his thoughts flowed SO rapidly
that he was not conscious OF the discon-
nected nature of what he was writing; bat
as soon as he stopped to read 1T over he
was aware how completely he had misre-
presented his conceptions. II the Language
, happened to be at all ineligible it was
sure to have no relation to the ideas he
wished to express. Thus, wishing to OBJ
+ tain q book from friend, he found that
a instead of that request, he had writer
the prayer of Socrates, as given by
+ Plato.
Sir Isaac Newton, in the later years o
y his life, suffered greatly from wakefulness
i The fact, we'll known to every medica
r man, that persistent sleeplessness is fire.
4 quently the precursor or initiatory stag
n of several most intractable maladies, ply
steal and mental, always invests the pre-
e sence of this indication of mental over
v strain with grave interest. But contin
: ued course of excessive mental labor gen
h orally manifests itself on the mind itsel
l. in various ways, all more or less Fremont
"a tory of approaching collapse. The brail
o worker begins to perceive an unwontes
70 want of clearness in his ideas work come
70 gradually less easy to him !; he is alarmed
/, at sudden awkward failures of memory
,r a feeling of surfeit or disgust will stea
re over him in the midst of work; he become
Of unable to fix his attention, and latterl
e feels as if all mental energy was crushe
lie out of him.
re If these warnings Of an overwrough
It brain, now speaking distinctly with tn
?. tongue disease, are disregarded, the won
Ii der frequently lie, not that the inevitabl
m retribution follows, but that it should hav
of been SO long delayed. What particula
4. form the Nemesis shall assume, whether {
is phys steal or mental disease, will be deter
d mined by accidents partly of personal ha
4. bit and temperament, and partly of inherit
he ed predispostion. 1t is noteworthy, how
he sive mental occupation gravitates towar
X insanity. does not appear to be verified b
l. facts. Indeed, one of the foremost of liv
If ing physicians doubts whether alienatio
a. of mind is ever the result of oyerstrair
er 1t ia to physical, not to mental derange
ar ment that excessive work of the brain gen
D, orally gives rise. Insanity, he points ou
t. finds the most suitable material for it
- development among our Goldfish, uneGu
Y, Gated classes while the worst form {
l. physical diseases are originated and in
j. tensifed by our educated, overstrainin
brain -workers.-Cham6er'S Journal.