Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-02-28

not only compelling a return to few things,
but TO the blandest and simplest Of them,
and even limiting the quantity Of these,
until she has had time TO recuperate
Besides abuses Of function, a weakening
Of the visceral organs from acute diseases,
or painful affections Of chronic nature,
which exhaust the nerve supplies, may in-
duce irregular functions and abnormal sen
satiOns, from which may be transmitted IL
lusory impressions TO the brain, and delu
sions in that way be engendered so that
out Of local disorders step by step may
come about a mental arrangement Did
space allow, the modus operandi of So
called subjective delusions could he graph
ically portrayed by the recital of illustra .
| tive cases
Nervous prostration is nowadays a very
common term, but not wholly a new thing
A generation ago persons in run down
condition without any special disease, were
said TO be afflicted with general debility /.
but 1t is seldom nowadays that we hear that
term used. Nervous exhaustion is a better
| term. and defines more exactly what is
meant than does nervous prostration and
! there is another modern term used that can
hardly be called scientific or classic but
which is extremely significant, in which
the individual is said to be "played out. 50
Nervous exhaustion is by this term as liz
orally defined to the popular idea as was
the death of the ass in the Latin fable who
under his burden fell down and expired,
by the pupil who rendered il fell down
and 'breathed out This condition of
nervous exhaustion follows all acute dis
eases, but is as a rule restored during con
valescence. The thing meant nowadays is
not what comes as a sequel to acute disease,
but the condition in which person finds
himself without preceding disease. 1t can
not he denied that the term is applied at
the present time much too Unfortunately
1t is applied to subjects of all ages, and all
occupations To such as follow callings
which in their nature draw especially up
on nerve force, and those whose avoca-
tions are such as are largely muscular,
there is wide difference between getting
tired and getting nervous. The tired per
son can 90 TO sleep when he gets the oppor-
tunity, and recuperate The nervously
exhausted person can indeed lie down, but
rest does not come with the opportunity
nor always by the courting. 1t is ridicu
| lOus 10 hear man whose life long labor
has been manual, and who by long contin-
ued labor in one line of work has grown
tired, talk about this nervous prostra
| ton What he wants is some change not
rest change is rest under these circum-
stances. The things that draw most upon
the nerve force, besides mental labor, are
mental worry, grief, mortifying mistakes
disappointed ambitions, business losses and
| lngrattude. In some cases among honest
laboring men and women, these are super
added and induce true nervous exhaustion.
The going wrong Of son or Il daughter
U Ia. a...N. ~ 4.
our everyday life and acquaintance affords
US examples that need not be named, but
which illustrate the force of this fact
Another cause which | have before this
commented upon in print, / cannot omit in
| this connection-and indeed feel it incum
bent ON me to keep before the public as far
as ! cans, the cumulative strain of un-
ceasing aud ever increasing duties and re
| sponslblities. as evidenced particularly in
the case Of the New England wife and
mother, who too often sees the brightest
side Of life before entering upon this life
long relation.
MOdern Phase.
Having dwet upon the effects of local
exhaustion of nerve force, and the manner
in which morbid sympathies are aroused as
far the limits of this paper will allow,
turn 10 one Of the more modern phases
| Of it,
Failure Of the ewes in those entering up
on a college or extended course of study
has become SO frequent a disability that |
cannot pass it by in silence The study of
that branch of the healing art denominat-
ed opthalmology, has enabled many defects
of vision 10 be Disseminated by the med
ical profession of today, that a generation
ago passed undetected and optical science
has kept pace with opthalmology in the ad
justmeut of correcting lenses 70 these de
fects. 1t is not an infrequent thing to find
the two eyes working Independently in
stead of in harmony or it is found that
one eye is doing all the work, the other be-
ing practically disused, though capable of
seeing, where formerly defects of vision
were included within the range of two gen
eral conditions, near -sightedness and far
sightedness Now it is true that grown peo
pie ride hobbies, as well as children hobby
horses and when a distinguished individ-
ual mounts, a crew of followers make haste
to follow in the leaders wake Already
we hear now and then the cry TO halt, and
a late number of a medical journal heads
an article, "Where are the opthalmolo
gists leading us p and hopes for the hon
or of medicine that this new craze will
keep within legitimate bounds, and not ap-
propriate the whole field of neurology and
psychiatry," justly asserting that disorders
of visual accommodation are not the sole
trouble in the ajorty of cases | confess
to daily amazement at the number of small
children | see in this town wearing specta-
cles and cannot repress the query, every
time, as TO whether or not it be the best
thing. Of one thing | am sure, that if re-
sorted to thus early it is an end to all ten
dency toward the natural adjustment OF
visual powers, for the artificial resource
effectually bars and keeps apart any natur-
al reconcilement.
1 admit that defects of visual accommo-
daton may exist through childhood, and
through the preparatory school days, auu
not be subjects of serious attention but
when "a higher course, involving steadieI
use and more protracted tension of the eyes
is attempted, the disability may come tC
the front and demand treatment, yet the
question that obtrudes itself upon one
always, Is, whether it is merely the eve
that is nervously prostrated, or whether
this is only concOmitant of genera
nervous exhaustion, which needs to be EN-
braced in the plan Of treatment in which
case eye treatment is useless if not posi-
lively pernicious. 1t is at least well to in
/
ow of every ones life that may have eX,
erted a weakening influence, such as late
hours, unhealthy or irregular living in
short, an artificial mode of life for ma
ture will not be imposed upon, and boy
must be in the main natural, or suffer.
have said it is not continuous routine
labor that exhausts the nervous system,
uncomplicated with coeXistent strains
This is as a rule true, VII ether of manual OF
mental labor, although each sometimes get:
in a morbid way for want of some change
that may afford healthful variety. 1t is
the growing men who are subject TO eX
haustion the ambitious business man who
ventures all and sometimes more than al
in specuations the professional man who
seeks-besides the practice of his profession
to fathom some Of the unturned pages OF
the great book of human life. Never forget
that balance should be preserved between
the two systems of nerves which we have
tried to demonstrate the existence and re-
lation Of 1t is time to check the activity
of the cerebro spinal system when see thai
the functions depending on the gangloniC
begin TO suffer, to he difficult, even, tC
grow sluggish Irritable temperament'
may show irritable bodily functions as wei
as mental operations. As the viscera
functions may be robbed by the brain, SC
the brain may be robbed by the viscera
and become incapacitated for thinking
Exhaustion of ideas is experienced in these
cases, aud have no doubt often by brain
workers, though there is some reason Il
suppose that it is an existing condition il
some cases when it is not experienced.
The minor manifestations of nervous ex
haustion are undue emotion, unwOnted ca
price, vacillation, hesitancy, doubts, anc
WEAKNESS of life. There are delusiOns Oh
jective and subjective relating to Others
and TO self The latter almost always have
their origin in some arrangements of physi