The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-04-06
PROFESSIONAL MEN.
ADVICE TO THOSE PURSUING A
SEDENTARY OCCUPATION.

els Minot-What Is shown by statis-
aud Health.
Professor Francis Minot lectured re-
Gently at the Harvard Divinity school on
the health of professional men. The lect-
ure included three topics: The actual
condition of the health of professional
men; their peculiar disease, and the best
mode of doing professional work. Under
the term professional men, we include
physicians, lawyers, clergymen, writers,
scientists and teachers.
DIR. Minot said the health of profess
sional men ought 60 be as good as that of
other people, for they had good shelter,
good food, and were not exposed To ex-
tremes Of weather and noXious surround
ings, and were not tempted to dissipation
aud excess. This inference was shown to
be correct by statistics Longevity was
not always attended by good health, but
old age was generally the reward of
healthy life Statistics of the age at
death of over 100000 people in Massachu.
setts showed that, while the average Of
all was about 80, the average age of pro-
fessional men was a little over 80, nclud-
ing actors and photographers. OF real
professional men the average age was
-
Of professors, SO; of physicians, 81; of
lawyers, over 90.
A DIFFERENT RESULT.
Statistics compiled in England showed
different result, for while clergymen
were there also longer lived than lawyers
or physicians, physicians were the short
est lived of professional men. During
three consecutive years the death rate
among physicians was 26 in 100; among
lawyers, 20, and much less among the
clergy. This difference was remarkable.
1t could not be explained by the irregular
life lack of rest and overwork of medical
men, for those conditions applied to Amer
lean physicians, and was probably due to
the fact that many English doctors spend
years in India, whence they return with
impaired health. There was general re-
semblance in the mode of living of law
yers and physicians; they were obliged to
exercise more and there was more variety
in their lives than in those of clergymen
and professors. The great longevity of
ministers must be attributed to modera-
ton, temperance and freedom from anx-
iety as to pecuniary matters.
DR. Minot then reviewed briefly the orr
gin Of diseases in general, and said many
of them would disappear as soon as their
causes became known. The danger to
the health of professional men lay in their
sedentary life. They should warm their
studios and offices with open fires rather
than with furnace heat, and supply less
oxygen in consequence of greater rarefica-
tion of the air. Good hygienic conditions
in their houses was next in Importance.
Bad drainage caused typhoid fever, pneu-
monia, diphtheria and blood poisoning.
No drainage or sewer pipes should have
indirect communication through other
pipes with the interior of sleeping rooms.
Next to drainage the care of the person
was of greatest Importance. Sponge baths
every morning We're advantageous TO those
whom the practice did not injure and
daily moderate exercise was necessary.
Professional men often suffered from
what was popularity known as biliousness,
which was due to insufficient exercise in
the open air; from this i'll lawyers and
physicians were freer than elergymen and
writers.
WORK AND RELAXATION.
From work professional men gained
their livelihood and their happiness, and,
the question was, How can one do thu
most work with the least injury The
work should be uniform as regards hours,
with intervals of relaxation, during which
the mind should be completely withdrawn
from ones work. There were many in
stances of the beneficial effects of this
alienation of employment. Sir john
Lubbock was an active banker and mem
ber of parliament, but became famous
from his avocation as naturalist. A
distinguished Massachusetts, Judge, spent
his evenings frequently in reading SEN
sational novels. An hour at whist not
only afforded positive gain as regards
health, but an increased capacity for
labor. A complete vacation at least once
a year was advantageous. b. X. Curtis
said he could do his years work in nine
months, but not in twelve. Every pro-
fessional man, except the country doctor,
could generally take vacation in The
summer, and the country doctor should
take journey, particularly journey
across the ocean.
Professor Mnot did not believe that
brain work was bad for health. Instances
of the effects of over brain work were
nearly all due TO the neglect of hygienic
rules or to hereditary diseases. Brain
workers often lived long and laborious
lives. IL was n natural inference when
professional man died of apoplexy that he
died of overwork, but apopleXy was rs
liable to be caused by physical overworll
as by mental. The professor closed with
three examples of the effects of the rules
he had laid down: Darwin, who by regu-
larity performed an enormous amount of
work, in spite of i'll health and intense
pain; DIR. Little, whose rule of life in
cluded the twenty-four hours of the day,
and who generally worked until3 in the
morning and rose at s, took a vacation of
one month every year, and lived TO he
nearly so; distinguished London ply
sIcian, Dr. Bird, who Mt 40 had built up
a practice worth 10000 IL year, but who
died soon after, broken down by over
work.-Boston Advertiser