The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-09-19
ZOLA'S WORK CURE.
CLEVER EXPOSITION OF A BRIGHT
FRENCH PHYSICIAN.

vaiids-The Interesting and Impressive
Example of Victor Mugo--Ths PhiIoso-
ply of Labor.
! Abiding to Zola's stirring discourse to
the students, my kind colleague, NJ. Boulat,
has the amiability to remind me that the
idea Of metbodieal medical treatment by
work belongs In principle to me.
am very proud Of his quoting me in this
way, but the idea Of work as normally help
full would really not be sufficiently happy
and new discovery IL did not endeavor to
say more definitely in what way "labor' is
helpful to our human mechanism, to what
real want of the mind 1t corresponds and
under what conditions 1t would be bene.
fetal.
! Medical men have neglected to write-at
least in popular terms-about the curious
psychology OF the brainworkers and that Of
. intelligent sluggnrds. Perhaps can, by di-
vesting this captivating problem Of its in
tricate technicalities, write a few words
about it that might be worthy the interest
of more than one Of our readers and make
them understand how profound, legitimate
and in harmony with psychology is the ad
vice apparently somewhat trivial) that
'Zola gives us-the advice to work in order
to forget suffering and doubt.
Let us to this end picture to ourselves, in
most rudimentary simplicity, this nervous
system of man, which the least agree to con
slider as the incarnation Of the soul, it's ma
lterial form, so to speak.
& We can condense it in few words-thus:
First, central apparatus which represents
the brain, and then the nerves, white fila.
ments that connect the least part Of our OF.
ganism with the brain center.
The nerves are nothing but tho conduct
ing pparatus--telephon wires, one might
say.
Their function is twofold one: Fir,t, to
conduct to the center the impressions born
by contact with the outer world-this Is
the part Of the nerves called "sensitive;"
and secondly, starting nom the center, to
give to the different organs the order to act
and move. This is the part of the motor
NERVES.
Almost every nerve centeris complex and
serves double purpose-to transmit to tn,
commanding power the impressions of our
five senses, and then to carry the commands
of that power to the acting organ, the mus
ocular cell, that unreasoning and most ODE.
Idient servant.
AS to the brain, this is its function-to
receive whether consciously or not, the i'm
, Ipressions of the senses and to give them
, shape, from which springs the desire for
, corresponding action.
!, II several impressions take shape at the
same time, the strongest, the most urgent
, determines the choice of action. The will,
| the soul, decide, and the gesture obeys.
Thus the sensation is transformed and
reelected in voluntary act. The angle of
this reflection is in the brain. In short, the
human organism In its noblest functions
, can be reduced to this elementary image
the coming and returning of u nervous vi.
bration, a receiver in the first part of its
passage and n motor in the second We re-
ceive sensations and change them into ac-
tions All considered, the true definition
lof this fine word "sensibilityn can only be
"the centripetal nervous phenomenon" (oh,
what awful wordsD, the centrifugal phe-
lnomenon representing action.
We are therefore really but machine in
regard to incessant exchange Except dur
ing the hours of sleep with the exterior
world. 1t gives to IFS, and we continually
give back. The functions Of the nervous
system can comparatively be reduced sim.
ply to n problem Of natural mechanism.
-. The word mechanism" implies force,
and here we enter into the heart of the sub
ject. Like all machines, the brain in activ-
ity uses heat-burns combustiblcs TO trans
form them into work and useful realiza-
, tions. One measures rather imperfectly
j still, but one does measure the dynamic
variations of this machine. Well, the com.
J bustibe OF the brain, its source of strength
I is sensation. The nervous vibration that
goes to the brain engenders the vibration
that leaves it. II our mind is capable oil
q willing, of creating, of producing, 1t is be
cause it has been fed, often unconsciously
by very intense sensations to such point
that (who would think IT'D the most sensi
tive arc the strongest -.
This is so contrary to common opinion
Z that might justify it somewhat.
To speak only of intellectual work, lei
: us take for example Victor Hugo-non,
could be more typical ..
~ Judging from the splendor and enormity
of his works, he certainly was strong.
II appears from all that has been said o
him that no man showed less feeling. Il,
all those who lived with him he seemed
somewhat of demigod whom moral suffer
ing could not touch and who could not b
. moved by the sorrows of the heart. Thi
=, seems disastrous to the theory which up
mr. hold
re On the contrary, it will sustain it as sool
% as we understand the meaning of the words
III In the long life during which he lost s.
NJ many dear to him, the poet hardly ever ha,
ve any of those moments Of moral detection o
" iwcpt for himself. What he lacked the
We was the power to express in the ordinar
We way human and individual emotions or tn
"a sensations which assaulted him. But thes
i'd sensations were not less intense. On tn
ne contrary, his sensitive nerves without ceas
sn ing carried foods Of this increasing centriI
or etal vibration which is the true sensitive
lie ness. Only, understand me well, instead {
u, changing them into feeling, weakness c
ali emotion Ito use the right word), he tran,
$. formed them all immediately into work an
literature. Instead Of allowing himself I
. be overwhelmed and tortured by these force
of sensibility which were so strong in hin
he carried them outside and continually T
turned them under the form of useful worl
Twice in his life he suffered most cru
\ blows-at Villequiet, where his daught,
. WAS drowned, with her husband, a wee
after their wedding, and on the I'd OF d
cember, when he was exiled.
What did he make out of it' Very fe
L tears or personal agony, but two prodigior
works of incompatible force of expressiC
one of grief, the other of indignatio
"a The second volume of "Contemplations
az, which will make generations weer IN b
stead, and those scourging "Chatiments
by which so many souls have been rous
. to vengeance, stirred by his flaming vers,
were the results.
Don't you see in this example, not on
carried to an extreme, but to the mary
ias Gus, the influence of work which brings f
Getfulness and annihilates pain.-Mauri
de Fleury in Boston Transcript.
i.
OIL The c,,n,o u..,.
in 1t was Paul de Casslgnac who wrote
:. Victor Noir:
'o'' "a am the offended party. / have t
Ele. choice of weapons. / chose the Fren
grammar You are dead. y