The morning call., 1894-07-08
EDISON DOCTORS HIMSELF.
The Great Inventor Does Not Want
to Take Drugs

They have a little cot out at the laboratory
where Edison sleeps when he spends The night
at the laboratory, which is nor more than ten
minutes walk from his handsome house In
Llewellyn Park. Upon this cot be will snatch
an hours and a half-hour's sleep at night while
waiting for the wor. men to finish an almalure
or 10 bore hole in some experimental steel.
His meals during such times are sent down
from the house, and he may eat them working
at the bench or standing up, or forget them
altogether. This may 90 on for days at tme,
and Edison may not even take the trouble TO 90
10 the cot, but may turn in on heap OF saw
dust or the soft side of board and snatch
few minutes of sleep. Air. Edison long ago got
weary of people who went up to him and Sald,
"You will ruin your health" Physicians gazed
al him with long face and told him II he Kept
| this up his days w re numbered.
"They wanted me TO take drugs" Saln ne 10
| q World reporter, ''but l am my own doctor.
He has poor opinion of doctors VINO write
| prescriptions designed TO insert strange drugs
into man. MIR. Edison, who Is blessed WIN
| most rugged constitution aud an elastic nature
| has a curious theory upon which he doctors
| himself" He holds that nature somehow bal
| ances things. When he has deprived bimSeH
| of sleep for several nights in succession he
| takes long sleep TO make up for il. When be
| has been eating meat ana his liver or kidneys
trouble him he suddenly turns vegetarian.
That brings me around all right" said he,
''and then IL, after time, anything goes wrong
/ begin to eat meat again, when veTylhing IS
justified. l eat what l like" said Mr.. Edi-
son. Itappears to agree with him, for latterly
things he likes is pie. He drinks very little
and yet is far from being total abstainer.
"Wben l was in france they told me that
must drink wine or Pd get The typhoid fever.
So began 10 Ink their wine but after awhile
my hands began to shake. l guess they only
throw in he typhoid fever TO advertise their
WINE Tea ana coffee and water are the best
drinks FOR me-"
MIR. Edison expects 10 live TO be 80 years Of
age. "My father went TO Europe at the age of
81" said he. when in Paris his companion,
a Young fellow Of 65, propos' going out 10
Versailles Tue old gentleman declined TO
ride, and they walked out and back. My
grandfather lived TO be 103. despite the horrible
Influence OF tobacco, and l think my chances
are good for 90, barring accidents" MIR.
Edison's reference TO "tbe horrible influence OF
tObacco'' is what ne calls his little joker" He
is an inveterate smoker himself.
"HOw many cigars do you smoker"
"From ten 10 twenty day." was the reply.
"StrOng ones"
''The strongest can get" was the reply.
Doesn't IL hurt your nerves?"
mo; never saw sign of il. If 1 thought
1t hurt me I'd STOP it,"
Mr.. Edison was asked what he did for amuse-
mpnt, and replihd that he liked a good story
and was fond OF the tneater. On account OF
being slightly deaf, howyVer he cannot hear all
the actors say, and is therefore more devoted to
light opera. He says he can get down in the
iron, row and hear all the mnsc.-New York
World