San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-06-15
CONSERVING NERVE FORCE.
Methods of Keeping a Full Supply
of This Vital Power.

vi al OhC many PiooSS VI ''i''S
is known as vital energy, the force
known as nervous force is the most
mysterious. That it is real force,
allied to the well-knOwn force of
physics can scarcely be doubted,
for like these, it obeys the grand
general laws of the conservation of
energy and correlation of forces. To
produce it, other force must be ap-
piled, and it's action produces in
turn still other forces. But so COM
plicated and apparently intangible
are the results of it's action that 1T
is difficult to submit it to the
tests of physical forces. Indeed,
it is only the later psychologists
who have attempted to measure
and weigh the effects of this most
obscure of all the forces, but their
results have plainly shown that it
does not differ essentially from
other forces. GAS quick as thought"
no longer describes an instaneOus
phenomenon, for the speed of
thought approximately at leaSt)
has been measured and found to
be considerably slower than that
of electricity or light. Like cleo
tricity or light, also, it requires
power to generate it, and this
power bears an exact proportion to
the nervous force generated. So
much is known, but of the real
nature of this force even less is
known than of the real nature of
the physical forces, for no hypotheo-
sis which is worthy to be called a
theory has yet been propOunded to
explain its phenomena.
The resemblance between ner-
vous force and electricity has often
been noticed, but the fact that it is
only a resemblance, and not an
identity, as has sometimes been
supposed, has been sufficiently
proved. Nevertheless, the language
used in describing nervous phenOm-
ena is borrowed from that of cleo
tricity, and the images presented
to the mind, when thinking of the
phenomena of nervous force are
those of parallel phenomena of
electricity. Like electricity, it is
generated by chemical change and
carried by continuous and care
fully protected conductors, which
terminate either in wonderfully
constructed "end-organs," COM
parable to telephones or motors,
or in ganglia, which are strictly
comparable to electric relays. But
like electricity also, it is subject to
all the physical defects of deli
cate machine, and from the first
generation of the force in the
nerve-cell to it's final dissipation
in the form of other force it is
liable to arrangement. The nerve
cells which generate the force are
not capable of continuous genera
ton. Like the electric battery,
they soon become exhausted and
require period of repOse before
they can again generate their quota
of force. Especially is this true if
the amount of force absorbed is
expended rapidly, or if the
periods of repOse allowed to any
special cell are short. The
result is not unlike that eff
feet produced in battery sudden
1y discharged and which is known
as polarization. The cell refuses
to work, or if it is forced to duty
does so erratically, with constant
and rapid diminution of power.
This result is seen in men subject
ed to severe muscular eXertion, as
in soldiers on forced marches or in
priZe-fighterS at the close of long
battles. The muscles are weary, it
is true, but apart from this purely
physical tire there is a nervous tire
which prevents the mind from
stimulating the muscles to exert
the power which they still possess.
Most markedly it is seen, however,
in those who have abused their
mental energies either in long con-
tinued brain work or in exhaust
i've discharges of nerve energy. The
first result, the sense of fatigue, if
neglected or resisted, soon runs on
to collapse, when the will finds it
self unable to spur the tagging
organ or even normal duty, and
nervous exhaustion is the result.
A recent number of The Hospital
contains an article on the hygiene
of brain-workers, in which the
writer points out an ideal life APP
parently oblivious of the fact that
the exigencies of life make it i'm
possible to follow his directions.
There is, however, a suggestion of
great value in his article, for his
remedies for, or rather preventa-