Tombstone epitaph., 1891-03-15
PROFESSIONAL MEN.
ADVICE TO THOSE PiIRsUlNe |
 sEpeHTARY OCCUPATION

Synopsis of . Lecture by Fs sfa-sOr FTans
 eis sGiRot-what Is shsT by ststIs.
 ties--OFigin OF Diseasss -lsrsIR worI
 and Health.
 Professor Francis MiROt lectured re- gently at the Harvard Divinity school op the health Of professional men. The lect-
 urs included three topics; The artUal condition of the health of professional
 men; their peculiar disease, and the best
 mode of doing professional work Under the term professional neH, we include physicians, lawyers, olergyIneR, writers,
 scientists and teachers.
 Dr. MinOt said the health of profess sional men ought to Oe as good as that Of other people, for they had good shelter. good food, and were not exposed tO eX- tremes of weather and nokiUus surround
 ings, and were not tempted to dissipation and 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 6
 healthy life. Statistics of the age at death of over 2u0, ,0C0 people in Mussachu- seIts showed that, while the average of all was about 52, the average age oF pro-
 fessiOnal meD was 6 little over 52, iRclud.
 ing actors and photographers. Of real
 ss=GssS-sssttsssss.l ss.cs 2isc average aE5 was
 about 59; of judges, 65, of eleTgymsl co,
 of professors, 5S; of physicians. 55; of
 lawyers, over SC.
 A DIFFERENT RESULT.
 Statistics compiled in EngIaud showed
 A 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 ra;e
 RiEOng physicians wHs 26 in 100; among iHts yrrs, GO, aud much jess among the
 clergy. This difference was remarkable.
 It could not be explained by the irregular life, lack of rest and oyerwoTk of medical
 men, for those conditions applied tO Amer ican physicians, and was probably due to
 the fact that many English doctors spend
 gears in India, whence they return with
 impaired health. There was general re-
 eEi0lance in the mOsle of living of law
 yeFs and physicians; they were obliged to
 exercise more and there was more variety
 in their lives than in those of elergymeu
 and professors. The great longevity of ministers must be attributed to mUSscra- sioD, temperance and freedom from anX-
 .sty as tO Pecuniary matters.
 Dr MiHOt then reviewed briefly the ori- grn of diseases in general. and said many
 Of them would disappear as soon as tlleiI
 causes became known. The danger eC the health of professional men lay in their
 sedcntaTy life. They should warm their studies and offices with open fres rather than with furnace heat, and supply less oxygen iU consequence CT greater rargiica. tiOB Of the air. Good hygieHic conditions 10 their houses was next iH importance. Bad drainage caUsesi typhoid fever, pneu- noHia, diphtberia and blood poisoning. No drainage or sewer pipes should have indirect communication through CtheT pipes with the interior of sleeping rooms. Next to drainage the care Of the person was of greatest importance. Sponge baths every morning were advantageous te those whom the practice did not injure, and daily moderate exercise was necessary. ! Professional men often suffered from what was populsrly known as biliOusness, 1 which vas due to insufficient exercise in ] the open air; from this ill lawyers and 1 physicians were fFesE than elergymeH and l writers
 WORK AND RELAXATION.
 From work professional men gained their livelihood and their happiness, and | ths question WIS, HOa can one do the ] most \ ork with The leitst injury The | work should be uniform as regards hours, 1 with intervals of relaxation, during which ! the mind should be completely withdrawE ! from 1Be's work. There were many in- l stances Uf the bFuefCial effects of this | slternatiun ef employment Sir John ! Lubbock was m active banker and mem ! ber of parliament, but became famous ! from his avocaiion as a naturalist < | distinguished Massachusetts judge spout ] his evenings frequently in reading sen ! IationdI novels. An EOar at whist not 1 . Jy afforded Q positive gain as regards i health, but on increased capacity fUI | izb0F 4 complete vacati0n at least once l A year was advantageous B. E. Gurus i said he could Go his years work in nine ! months, but not in twelVe. Every pro 1 fessiUHal man, except the country doctor 1 could generally take a vacation in the 1 summer, aBd tbe eoLntry doctor slsOuld 1 take 6 journey, particularly journey 1 aCross the ocean.
 l Professor Minot did not believe f'lat ! brain work was bad for health. Instances | Of the effects Of over bEaiI work were nearly all due to the neglecs sf bygieHic 1 rules or Go hereditary disenseS. Brain ! workers often lived long and lsbJFiOus | lives. IJ gas natural inference when q ] professional man died of apoplexy that be ] died of overwork. Hut apoplexy was as | Halle to be eaused lIy phy sical Oyerwurk ! as by mental The professor closed with | three examples of the effects of tie rGles ! he nad laid down: Darwin, who by regH- l Isrity performed an enormous amount of ] york, iG spite 5f ili heslth aud intense | pain; Dr. Little, whose Idle of life in- 1 cIuded the tweEty-four lsOurs of the day, | and who generally worked until 3 in tine { morning and rose at s, took vacatsOu of
 3Re month every year, and lived to be | nearly 30; s distinguished London phY- 1 sgeian, DF. Bird, who at 40 had bailt u2
 practice worth e70, 60 year, but who
 died soon afIsr. },roken down by over ' work Boston Advertiser.