The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-06-09
The Influence OF School Life on the Ner-
Vous System.

Before the American Social Science
Convention, DIR. Lincoln, of Boston,
stated that the entire nation was be-
heVed to be suffering from certain wide.
spread sources OF nervous degeneracy.
LII child inherited q susceptible consti-
tuition from excitable parents if from
its food in infancy iron, lime, and the
phosphates were mainly excluded if it's
diet In maturer years was very rich and
very unwholesome if it lived in eli
mate exceedingly trylng-at its best kill
Ing the aged by excessive cold, and the
young by excessive heat-if to these
surroundings were added an atmosphere
OF constant emulation, impeling every
man, woman and child to personal ambi-
ton to get on in life and beat the others,
then le result Of these conditions would
be t make it deviate from the sturdy
Ans'e Saxon type OF the pioneers who
fo"!e.ad this country. 1t was the belief
OF III, writer that besides the facts noted
thoE'o was an appreciable and increasing
amon'1t of nervous damage done to chill
dren ny their school life, though he
Gould not pretend to give the statistics.
That vas being done in New York, Phil
adelphia and st. Louis, but he aimed
SIMPLY at showing the physiological
desired to demonstrate that at present
nervous harm resulted from school life,
whereas it was possible to derive nervous
benefit from the same things. Hero the
doctor, in Illustration of these principles,
cited the principles and observations of
some seventy physicians. Afterward he
developed the theory of nervous action,
and then cited the diseases which have
been grouped under the term "nem-
asthma debility, depression, dyspep-
sla, sleeplessness, irritability, headache,
nose-bleed, chorea or st. Vitus' dance,
neuralgia, hysteria, irritable spine, or
spinal an@mia, and menstrual anomalies.
The question before them, then, was to
divert children from these evils, and by
sounder system benefit their nerves.
This, he thought, would be helped in
the first place by making every school
provide for a reasonable amount of
physical exercise. He then went to the
consideration of the question whether
brain work was unhealthy, which he an
swered in the negative, on the ground
that Just as muscular labor increased the
power and volume of the muscles, SO
brain labor increased not only the brain
power, but the nervous forces on which
muscular motion was absolutely depend
ent. Ii the mental machine was not
overdrlven, nature would develop the
muscles at the same time that by teach
ing the brain was developed tc 6 certain
extent, but not altogether, for strong
brain needed strong pulse, and to have
that the heart must be strengthened.
This could only be done by muscular ex-
ertlon, which drove blood in upon the
heart, expanding, dilating and distend-
ing 1T. While, however, a small amount
OF physical oxertion would be sufficient
for this, it was certain the ideas general
ly entertained as to that amount was err
roneous. The professor went on to saw
that happiness was the best n,ateria
medica, and considered the causes of
unhappiness in children, laying down as
law that the true secret of happiness
was In alternate labor and rest. Consid-
Grafton of the bad effects of tea and
coffee, and of overheating school rooms,
closed the discourse, which was heard
with great attention.