The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-07-31
PROFESSIONAL MEN.
ADVICE TO THOSE PURSUING A
sEDENTARY OCCUPATION.

|
~ els Minot-what Is shown by stati,
10 tics-Origiu Of Diseases-Isrnin Woy
?. and Health.
Professor Francis Minot lectured re
l. Gently at the Harvard Divinity school Of
q the health Of professional men. The lect
i. ure included three topics The actua
p condition OF the health Of professional
a men; their peculiar disease, and the bes
o 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 profes.
. sional men'ought to lie us good as that of
other people, for they had good shelter.
good food, and were Lot exposed to ex.
tremes Of weather and noXious surround
ings, and were not tempted to dissipation
and excess. This inference was shown to
he correct by statistics. Longevity was
not always attended by good health. bur
old age was generally the reward of n
healthy lie. Statistics of the age M
death Of over POO, 900 people in Massacbu
sets showed that, while the average of
all was about %, the average age of pro-
-,
ing actors ana photographers. OF real
professional men the average ace vos
about %; OF judges, Go; of clergymen. GO.
OF professors, 90; of physicians, 81; of
lawyers, over SO
| A DIFFERENT RESULT.
| Statistics compiled in England showed
| different result, for while clerpyman
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 20 in 100; anon,
lawyers, ~, and much less among the /
clergy This difference was remarkable. |
III could not be explained by the irregular |
lie, lack OF rest and Oyerwork of medical |
men Tor those conditions applied to Amer. |
ican physicians and was probably due To
the TACT that many English doctors spend
years III India, whence they return with
impaired health. There was general re-
semblance in the mole of living of law
yers and physicians; they We're obliged TO
exercise more and there was more variety
III their lives than in those of clergvmen
and professors. The great longevity of
ministers must be attributed to modera-
" I
iety as 10 pecuniary matters.
DIR MinOt then reviewed briefly the ori-
GU OF diseases in general, and said many
Of Them wouid disappear as soon as their I
CAUSES became known. The danger To
the health OF professional men law in their
sedenlary life. They should warm their t
'.uuios ana ohices with open fires rather
nan with furnace heat, and supply less J
oxygen IN consequence Of greater rarefica. l
Ion OF the air. Good hygienic conditions l
n their houses was next in importance. a
3ad drainage caised typhoid fever, pncrl- Y
nona, tatlInAther'a and blood poisoning. 5
10 drainage or sever pipes shCt.!!dd haze u
Indirect communication Through other u
'lpes with the interior Of sleeping rooms. !
>eXt to drainage the care Of the person y
Vas OF greatest importance. Sponge baths a
very morning were advantageous to those 81
'hom the practice did not injure, and ie
ally moderate exercise was necessary.
Professional men often suffered from p'
that was popularity known as biliousness. ei
inch was due To insufficient exercise I'm IN
he oDen air; from this ill lawyers and te
hyslcians were ireer than clergymen and pi
'rters. or
WORK AND RELAXATION. ~
From work professional men gained
ieir livelihood and their happiness, and
re question was, How can one do the
ost work with The least injury? The ,o
ork should be uniform as regards hours. ho
It'll intervals of relaxation, during which ~,
re mind should he completely withdrawn ~ -,
ON ones work. There were many in -,
ances Of the beneficial effects of this ''''
formation Of employment. Sir John s 80,
lubbock was an active banker and mem 30.
II OF parliament, but became famous ,u,
om his avocation as a naturalist A ho,
Massachusetts Judge spent ~ ~
5 evenings frequently in reading sen. 80 80
tiOnal novels An hour at whist not va
ly afforded positive gain as regards an,
alth, but an increased capacity for ,,.a
Jor. A complete vacation at least once , "''
year was advantageous b. X. Curtis =,
ID he could do his years work in nine aho
,nths, but not in twelve. Every pro- H.,
sional man, except the country doctor, ,,ot
lid generally take vacation in the e.,
INNER, and the country doctor should Wv.
&c journey, particularly a journey da a'
'oss the ocean. u"i
Professor Minot did not believe that .
lin work was bad for health. Instances !e",
the effects of over brain work were en-
.rly all due to the neglect of hygienic Ia 'I.
rters oftsn iivnd ,onT, "n5 .hd,'i is,i imp
IS. IL was natural inference when a
fessional man died Of apoplexy that he -
d Of Overwork, but apoplexy was as
Die to be caused by physical overwork Is"
by mental. The professor closed with Vi
&c examples Of the effects OF the rules pare
had laid down: Darwin, who by regu- duc
ty performed an enormous amount Of ana
*, in spite Of i'll health and intense pro-
n; DR.. Little, whose rule of life in acre
led the twenty-four hours of the day, gro'
who generally worked until in tine per
ming and rose at :, took vacation Of OF
month every year, and lived to be own
rly 80; a distinguished London ply Il
an, DR.. Bird, who mt 40 had built UP cier
'actice worth $40 900 year, but who sing
soon after, broken down by over cove
k.-Boston Advertiser lima
" Of c,
One Of the Lost Arts me-.
D shoot buffalo successfully one must 80" ~
npou fta riOht al 10 al shoo. ,..,,k ~ III