The Worthington advance., 1881-08-18
Night Work and Long Hours.

From Cassell's London Aagizine
There is no disease so insidious nor
when ful]y develoved SO difficult to cure,
q that specious of nervous degeneration
or exhaustion produced by night work or
long hours. It is easy to understand how
such . state Of prostration may be induced.
The brain and th. nervous system have
been very aptys compared to q galvanic bat
terry In constant ase to provide supply Of
electric huid for consumption within Civ
en- time. AS long," says o recent writer,
as supply and demand are fairly balanced,
the functions which owe their regular and
correct workings to the fluid are carried on
with precision: but when, by htful and ex-
cessive demands carried far beyond the
means Of supply. tho balance is not only
lest, hut the machine itself is overstrained
and injured disorder at Arst and disease
afterwards are the results. This
illustrates pretty clearly the condition
Of well balanced brain and nervous sys-
tcm. supplying without an EFFORT all tn Q
nervous force required In the operations of
the mind and body, SO long as its work is
in proportion to its powers, but It enbar.
rassed by successive demands feebly and
fitfully endeavoringto carry on those mental
and physical operations over which it form
symptoms Of nervous prostitution are ex-
ceedingly painful, we can afford to pity ev-
en- the man of pleasure, who has by his
own foolish conduct induced them, but
much more to the Brain worker. who has
been burning the midnight oil in the hon
est endeayor to support himself, and prob
ably wife and family. with >respectability
in life. He has made mistake for which
we can readily forgive him. In the pleas
ureasle excitement of honest toll he has
forgotten that the supply Of work cannot be
regulated by tie demand or need for it,
but by the power to produce it. He has
been living on his capital as we'll as his in
interest thereof. and when he finds he has
no longer the strength to work as he used
to dc, and starvation itself probably staring
him in the face if he ceases to toll, Why the
very thought of coming collapse tends
only to hasten the catastrophe, and reason
itself may totter and fall before the contin-
ned mental strain.
Probably the first sign Of failing nervous
energy is given by some of the large or
gans of the body; it may be functional de-
rahgement of the heart, with futtering or
palpitation, or intermittent pulse, and short
ness of breath in ascending stairs or walk
ing quickly. The stomach may give timely
warning ard distaste for food or loss of
appetite, with acidity, fatulence and irregu-
larity OF the bowels, may point to loss of
vitality from waste unrepai:ed. Or brain
symptoms may point out to the patient that
things are going wrong. He may not find
himself abe to work with the same usual
life and activity; be 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 symp-
tom indeed, for in sleep not only are the
muscular and nervous tissues restored and
strengthened, but there is q time for the
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 nu-
triton to restore it. Irritability of temper,
and fits Of melancholy, both point in the
same direction, to an exhausted nervous
system. Now may safely say there are
very many thousands of brain workers in
these islands who are suffering, sadly. and
it may be silently suffering, from the effects
of excessive toll, and over mental strain.
To warn such that they are positively short
ening their lives, AID that they cannot have
even the faintest hopes of reaching any,
thing like an old age, is only to perform
part Of my duty as medical adviser. I
should try to point out some remedy for
the evil. To bid them cease work, would
in great many cases, be equivalent to
telling them to cease to live. They must
work, or they cannot eat Well, but there
is one thing they all can do, they can re-
view, remodel and regulate their mode and
system Of living.