St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-21
EFFECTs of OvERwORK.
What Some Prominent Physicians
Think OF Long Hours.

What Some Prominent Physicians
Think OF Long Hours.
A GLOBE reporter dropped in on several
members Of the medical fraternity of the
city yesterday to find out what their study
and observation had taught them about long
hours ofslabOr. DR.. Jones, public health
officer was asked what he thought of the
sreet-car drivers from professional stand
point, and willingly paused in his work long
enough 10 say:
The cOndit On of our street car drivers APP
peas strongly TO my sympathy and compass
sion. They are particularly exposed 10 cold
blasts ana to the full sweep of rain, snow anC
sleet. They constitute almost the only elias
OF labOrers who are exposed day and night u
the full effects of inclement weather, ano
they are commonly attacked 18th pneumonia.
bronchitis and rheumatism. They are all
Liable TO facial paralysis. 1t is well known
that these drivers are often troubled witt
Varicose veins Of the lower limits and conges-
ton of the spinal cord. from the constant jar
ring to which they are sub. c ted.
The long hours they are compelled to work
produce the sensation Of fatig,. and eXhaus
ton Of the muscles, due TO the loss of nerve
force. These symptoms Of exhaustion are
ill-defned sensation of fatigue, and in certain
cases actual pain, tremOr and cramps. Speak
ing from a professional standpoint, / do not
see how such long working hours and Suci
exposure IS cOlnDhtaDlc Win ROBUST or ever
fair hea lth. | believe the men are over
worked. If you are getting an expression o
public opinion on this point. put me down as
one who believes that the hours of our street
car drivers should be shortened"
FROM DE. DENsLOw.
DR.. lie Grand DeuslOw is one who has had
exceptional opportunities for observation II
this line in long hospital practice in New
York. and 10 him the reporter put few ques-
tions.
my experience and observation" said the
doctor. las well as reliable statistics show tina
the laboring classes do not live as long as the
rich. This is largely the result of long or e1-
haustive toll, often continued in poor health,
combined with inferior food aud general
poor sanitary surroundings. All working peo-
pie need proper amount OF relaxation, CIV
ing rest to the nerves and general system
The proper theory is eight hours for work
eight hours for sleep and eight for recreation.
private enterprise and the family circle.
Night work cannot be anything else than eX-
haustiYe and injurious. AS TO street ca
drivers, think that they are worked to the
point of exhaustion i'm many cases. My sym
pathies and experience strongly incline m,
to be champion OF the working classes, and il
the labor OF the world be performed in eight
hours as a rule, il would elevate and lengther
the average life of working people"
DIR. MURPHY's VIEWS.
DR.. J. II. Murphy couldn't recall many
which could be attributed to working too
hard, and he thought that the trouble Otter
was in getting people to work enough. He
had met IA multitude of cases of nervous eX
haustion and other complaints arising FROM
confinement and OVcrwOrk, but they were
generally professional men and students who
had overtaXed themselves mental Railroad
men were often the victims of exposure ans
long hours and he thought that ten hours M
most were long enough for a man to work
without injury to health.
DIR. HoYT's OPINION.
DIR. Hoyt thought that the aveage healthy
man could stand considerable work as proved
by the experience of farmers. There is nc
doubt but that our overtaXing of energy b,
long and hard work IN youth viii tell on +:
man in after years. Instances OF iniur,
from overwork are more common i'm Eastern
and other manufacturing communities. My
observation has been that newspaper mel
are the hardest worked class we have"
AN oCCULIsT.
A prominent occulist said that large pro
portion of his patients, particularly thos
whose eyes were affected, became so through
oyertaxing those organs. Most Of his suffer
ers were bookkeepers, draughtsmen, jeweler
and those naturally weak in eye or ear who's
systems had become debilitated through over
work or other causes.
ANOTHER OPINION.
Another prominent physician espresso
himself thus:
lyon understand that 1 refer to men en-
ployed in ordinarily healthy work when
answer, eight hours. When men are expose
to more than usual danger, whether by work
ing in the water or suffering frequent change
OF temperature, the time ought to be eve
less. There are occupations where me
might work longer than eight hours.
''Not to alude to the intellectual degener
alton which results from too great applies
ton to one pursuit. the peasantry of Europ
may be cited as an example of the physlc;