St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-20
DEADLY DISSIPATION.
Effects Of Tobacco and Liquor
on the Nerves and
Brain.
PARESIS ON THE INCREASE.
More Than 0ne-Half the Cases
Of That Disease Origin
ate in Vice.
INSANITY AND DRINKING
Fewer Lunatics Caused by
Alcohol Here Than in
Europe.

hlOOlUl 1tPG 1udu III
Europe.
One of the most important nerve
specialists in the United States is DR..
George w. Jacoby, of New York, writes
correspondent. His knowledge and
views of the future American nervous
constitution are not only interesting,
but valuable. His prophecy of splendid
things to come is not only pleasant, but
important because it comes from man
of the highest standing.
"DO you, as nerve specialist, find it
possible, as specialists in other lines
have, to say that the human race is
growing stronger?" / asked.
III do. emphatically," he replied.
''Since we have learned more of the
causes Of mental and nervous troubles,
we have learned better how to prevent
them. While this may be called the
century of nerves, a great improvement
III the nervous condition of the race has
been accomplished. Life III the large
American cities-where people might
almost be said to work thirIy-six hours
out of twenty-four hours, where every
one lives In continual push, rush,
hurry and jump, where time-saving
appliances such as the telephone and
other electrical devices are eagerly
caught up, and as eagerly applied can
not help but be straining and destruc-
tive to
Nervous Equilibrium.
"Our lives are totally different from
those of Europeans. Begin at the uni
yersity, for instance. An English STU
dent takes six years for his medical
course. An American does the same
work in four years, and until recently
allowed himself only three years for
the task. He does not slight his work.
either. He covers at least as much and
very likely more ground than his
English brother does, and he covers it
at least as thoroughly. But he crowds
himself, while the Englishman takes
his time. This continues after the uni
YerSlty years have passed. and lasts
through life. The wonder is not that we
are q nervous nation, but that we are |
not the most nervous nation on the face |
of the earth. We eat less. sleep less |
and play less than any nation but the |
French. But we seem to be able not |
only to endure it, but to thrive under it. |
The French probably more nearly APP |
proach us In this perpetual activity, but |
they are likely to cut their sleep for |
dissipation, while we cut it fol hard |
work. Hard work rarely kills, If it is |
not accomplished by means of artificial |
strength gained by stimulants. and even |
then it is the stimulants, not the work, |
that
no tiae Damage.
"The matter of sleep is, of course, a |
most important one. | do not know |
that any one has entirely solved its !
problems. No hard and fast rule can |
be laid down to be followed by every
body. The average amount of sleep |
required by the average American is |
however, that the amount of sleep |
which a man or woman requires is
largely a matter of habit, just as the |
amount of milk which a person re-
Qulres in his lea is matter of habit.
1t is safe, however, to lay down
this rule: Never go without sleep
when the abstinece really makes you
suffer. l believe that many men take
nine hours sleep who would feel better
II they only took seven, but the whole
thing is so entirely a matter OF individu-
al necessity that very little of value can
be said about 1t by a physician. 1t is
possible that our entire system of Sleep
ing Is wrong. Perhaps short Snatches |
OF sleep would be better than our pres
ent practice of taking at one time all |
the sleeep which wa get during the
twenty-four hours. The dog is pretty
Healthy Aninala
yet you rarely find one which sleeps
continuously for any long period.
Towser TAKES bis sleep In maps of any
where from fifteen minutes to an hours
duration. myself have bad ex-
perlences which seem to prove that
maps are as beneficial as long sleeps.
have come home exhausted dozens of
times and slept three or four minutes
Ill my chair with my head Oh nv
chest, aWaklng at the end of the brief
period feeling as refreshed as a man
mig hit expect to after having slept Tor
hours. 1t is quite possible that dozen
or two such snatcheS during the twenty
fours would be quite as effective In re-
neWlng our exhausted vitality as long
period in bed. 1t certainly would be as
far as our nervous systems are concerned.
An exhausted nervous system will &c.
cuperate with short, frequent rests as |
we'll as it will with long continued
period of inaction."
LiGuor and the Nerves
''What is the effect OF our increasing
consumption Of spirituous liquors on
the national neryes?" i asked.
'We see hundreds OF cases OF nervous
and mental trouble due to ALCOHOL"
DR.. Jacohy replied. disastrous results
come not only from hard drinking, but
from the continuous use OF small guam
titles OF spirituous liquor. Whisky Is
particularly Injurious. AS it Is our
national drink, we are in this respect
less sensible than Germany or France.
The German will drink his beer, the
Frenchman will drink bis light Bor-
deaux and red wine, getting as much sat
lsfaction from them as the American does
from his whisky, but taking very much
OF these foreign drinks the proportion of
alcohol Is only 8 or per cent. In
American whisky it frequently rises as
high as 80 or 30 per cent. The result is
Inflammation of the nerves-in extreme
cases alcoholic neutritis-a and milder
forms of disease, such as continuous
tremor. pains IN the body and numb
ness, dimness of sight, and, most seri-
Gus OF all, whole train of alcoholic
Mental Troubles.
"There Is not doubt in nv mind
that II we could remove the influence
OF alcohol from our civilization we
"ousu ERADICATE % per cent OF OursGerv- |
oas diseases. l do not wish to bs
known. however, as an extreme advo.
cate of total abstinence. 1 believe i'm
the moderate use Of alcohol. a man
can use IT as he can coffee. But peOple
who are not able to control their appe-
titles for liquor should not drink it at
all.''
How about tobacco?''
Tobacco is to some extent on the
same footing, but absolutely organic
disease, like diseases of the general
nervous system and of the brain, are not
caused by tobacco. General nervous