Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-08-08
CAUSES OF NERVOUSNESS.
EXTRACT from Lecture by j. III. Kellogg
NJ. H.. OF Battle Creek Sanitarlaln.

Extract from q Lecture by j. H. Kellogg
NJ. H.. OF Battle Creek Sanitarlum.
The women of the present who arc
not troubled with some form OF nervous
ness are very few, although Madame de
Stael says that when she was o girl
women did not have NERVES" Nerv-
Gus disorders are increasing at u start
ling rate, and women are more subject
to them than men. Lack of muscular
developments coupled with sedentary
habits. arc the principal reasons for
this abnormal Sensibility. The same
impulse of the nerves necessary to accom-
plish q severe muscular task is that by
which hard, dense nerve fiber is devel-
oped. Exercise, then. is one of the best
means OF cOunteracting nervous weak
ness
Nervousness is also due to imperfect
nutrition. In nearly al! nervous dis
orders, there is a fuhct disturbance
of the powers of digestion and assimila-
ton. Novel reading is another pro-
nounccd cause of nervousness, and
girls, with their finer organization, fall
more under its influence than boys do.
School girls read going to and from
school, and many women spend hours
of every day rs we'll as long evenings
in porting over one exciting novel after
another. Most people thing they may
indulge in reading as if it were a
pastime. but reading is hard work, and
an exciting novel is very exhausting
To the nervous system. A novel fasci-
mating enough to entrance the atten-
tion, secures the concentrate on Of
the intellect, the will and the
Imagination. leading 20 the con-
sumption Of a large amount OF nervous
energy. Tho effect is the same as that
OF studying hard To solve some veXinS
problem in mathematics or in practical
life.
Another cause of nervous diseases Is
what n German specialist calls piano
hammer" a large number of young
ladies have spinal and other diseases
from drumming piano, whether they
have taste for music or not, because
their parents think it is necessary as
an accomplishment" A musical odu-
cation is admirable, if q person has the
taste and health necessary; but to be-
come u really fine pianist requires more
hard work than it does to become u
good lawyer or u good doctor, because
of the greater strain upon the nervous
system. The constant din and samencsS
of sound in finger exercises, the practice
necessary to secure the proper
strength anu ovenness of touch, the ex-
crcisc of certain muscles and nerves,
with their corresponding centers in the
brain, cause many young lady to break
down and become nervous invalid.
Another fruitful cause of nervousness.
often overlooked, is the craze for fancy
work, which amounts almost to vice
in some. Most fancy work requires
close concentration of attention, while
lace work, fine embroidery, etc, re-
quires also close focusing of the eyes.
Many are so completely Infatuated as
to work hour after hour, to the neglect
of out-of-door exercise or mental recrea-
ton. From this expenditure of nerN GUS
energy women suffer with pain in the
back of tn" neck and in the head and
arms. The nerve centers in the upper
part of the spine are usad So much that
they are actually worn out from the ex-
cessive activity of u few muscles and
nerves. The next thing is sore
spots in the spine. The nervous
energy which goes into a piece of
fine embroidery is enough to
reform half dozen drunkardS or to
carry enc through weeks and months of
hard, practical everyday life. The ac-
countability of persons who put all
their strength and vitality into ,eleSs
nothingS is something which requires
serious attention Thousands of women
owe their i'll health to this cause, nd
there is always an epidemic of sore
spines just about Christmas time. TO
ratch up bit of fancy work for half ar
hour will do no harm. but those who
work at it constantly, or take il up after
working hard a: other things all day,
aIS doing themselves great injury.
Tea tippling is another cause of nerv-
BUSINESS. There are thousands of women
in this country who keep themselves in
a constant state of inebriety from tea
drinking. They keep the teapot on the
stove all the time. Exhaustion, reac-
ton and depression follow just as they
do after drinking beer. Many take this
stimulant TO keep up" and also to
cure nervous headaches which tea drink
ing has brought on. 1t is about the
same as the man who wakes up in the
morning after spree with terrible
headache, and starts off for glass of
grog TO brace him up!
With all these exciting causes it 10
no wonder that women are nervous, and
that the doctors who make speciality
Of treating diseases of the nervous sys
tenn have more than they can do