The Portland daily press., 1881-07-27
Night Work and Long Hours.


There is no disease so insidious nor when
fully developed so difficult to cure, as that spe-
cies of nervous degeneration or exhaustion pro-
duced by night work or long hours 1t is easy
to understand how such state of prostration
may be induced. The brain and the nervous
system have been very aptly compared to a
galvanic battery in constant use to provide
supply of electric fluid for consumption within
given time. GAS long," says recent writer,
"as supply and demand are fairly balanced,
the functions which owe their regular and
correct working to the fluid are carried on with
precision; but when, by fitful and excessive
demands carried far beyond the means of sup
ply, the balance is not only lost, but the ma i.
chine itself is overstrained and injured-disor-
der at first and disease afterwards are the re.
suits. This illustrates pretty clearly the condi-
tion of well balanced brain and nervous sys-
tenn, supplying without an effort all the ror-
vous force required in the operations of the
mind and body, so long as its work is in proper.
tion to its powers, but If embarrassed by exces-
siye demands feebly and fitfully endeavoring
to carry on those mental and physical opera
tions over which it formerly presided without
an effort" The symptoms of nervous prostra-
tion are exceedingly painful; we can afford to
pity even the man of pleasure, who has by his
own foolish conduct induced them, but much
more so the brain-worker, who has been burn
ing the midnight oil in the honest endeavor to
support himself, and probably wife and fami-
ly, with responsibility in life. He has made
mistake for which we can readily forgive him.
In the pleaSurable excitement of honest toll he
has forgotten that the supply Of work cannet
be regulated by the demand or need for it, but
by the power to produce it. He has been liv-
ing on his capital as well as the interest there
of, and when he finds he has no longer the
strength to work as he used to do, and starva-
ton itself probably staring him in the face il
he ceases to toll, why the very thought of COM
ing collapse tends only to hasten the catastro-
phe, and reason itself may totter and fall be-
fore the continued mental strain.
Probably the first sign of failing nervous en-
ergy is given by some OF the large organs of
the body; it may be functional derangement
OF the heart, with huttering or palpitation, or
intermittent pulse, and shortness of breath in
ascending stairs or walking quickly The
stomach may give timely warning, and dis
taste for food, or loss of appetite, with acdity,
fatulence and irregularity of the bowels, may
point to loss OF vitality from waste unrepalred.
Or brain symptoms may point out to the pa
tient that things are going wrong. He may
not find himself able to work with his usual
life and activity; he may have fits of drowsi-
ness or transient attacks of giddiness, or pain,
or heaviness. or loss of sleep itself. This latter
would be very serious symptom indeed, for in
sleep not only are the muscular and nervous
tissues restored and strengthened, but there is
for the time being a cessation of waste itself;
and if sleep be essential to the ordinary healthy
man, it is much more SO to him whose mental
faculties have been over-tasked. Long hours
and night work lead to loss of sleep, and loss
OF sleep may lead to insanity and DEATH Loss
of memory, whether transient or general, is a
sure sign that the brain has lost its power of
healthy action, and needs rest and nutrition to
restore it. Irritability of temper, and fits Of
melancholy, both point in the same direction,
to an exhausted nervous system. Now 1 may
safely say that there are very many thousands
of brain-workers in these islands who are suf.
fering, sadly and it may be silently suffering,
from the effects of excessive toll and over mem
tai strain. To warn such that they are posi-
lively shortening their lives, and that they
cannot have even the faintest hopes of reach
ing anything like an old age, is only to per-
form part OF my duty as medical adviser. I
should try to point out some remedy for the
evil. To bid them cease to work would, in a
great many cases. be equivalent 10 telling
them to cease to live. They must work, or
they cannot eat Well, but there is one thing
that all can do, they can review, remodel and
regulate their mode and system of living.