The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-05-28
InhibitOry Power.

American women have always been dis
tinguished for vivacity of manner rather
than calm repose, and the opinion prevails
among thoughtful people, and more par
ticularly physicians, that of late years this
national vivaoity is degenerating into hys-
terra and other symptoms of nerve exhaus-
ton.
Many and curious are the evidences of
depleted nerve force daily manifested on
the cars and in shops by women. Perhaps
strangest of ell is the trick women have
of twisting and comforting their mouths,
especially at or before mealtime, when
there is least vitality in the system.
This habit is marked one among wom-
en-, old and young, rich or poor, cultured
or ignorant, and is increasing to such an
extent that it is getting to be the exception
to SEQ women on the l. or surface lines
who, if they are not talking, are not either
biting their lips, drawing in the corners
of their mouths or twitching the muscles
of the chin, until, on the WHOLE they re-
semble q company of facial contortionists.
The question naturally arises, What does
it all mean? What can possibly prompt
women to misplace so much good Delsarte
exercise, mar their beauty and prepare
themselves for large and early crop of
wrinkles? Questions surely to be referred
to the medical mind
Dr. Cyrus W. Edison, when questioned
on the subject, said:
81 believe this peculiar habit Of the end
of the century woman to be largely the re-
suit of the initiative powers of the human
mind. We are all mimics. 1t is COM
mon occurrence for the attendants upon
insane to become insane from the power
full effect of one mind upon another. Why,
st. Vitus' dance was at one time pro-
nounced by the doctors to be contagious
because in an earlier century one poor girl
appeared in the south of France afflicted
with this nerve disease and in very short
time the entire province was jerking ar1
twisting in close imitation of the original
CASE
Dr. Grace Peckham Murray, who is q
thoughtful, keen observer in all matters
Of up to date interest, said in reply to va
rious questions on the subject
'You are asking me about matter of
decided interest. l have noticed this nerve
weakness in both the men and women of
New York, but particularly in the women,
just as l have noticed more women who
unconsciously talk to themselves, and it
all means the same thing, loss of what
physicians call 'inhibitory power, which
merely means loss of self control.
"To understand this it il necessary to
know something of the power of the mind
over the body. You know of course, that
there must be two preliminary stages for
every act of the human body-first, the
external sensation, and, second, the i'm
preston made upon the brain. Then
comes the response of the body to the brain
signal. These three steps follow each
other as naturally and unoonsciously as
swallowing does masticating or sleep the
closing of the eyes.
'Now, in the natural order of events
the body responds instantly to any impress
sion made upon the brain. Inhibitory
power is that nerve force which controls
the body and permits it only to respond
wisely to the brain telegraphy. For in
stance, natural unrestrained action of
human being would be to give utterance
to every idea so soon as the brain receives
and formulates it, just as child or a saw
ago prattles by the hour Of every thought
passing through the mind. Inhibitory
power, or self control, Is that which en-
ables the older or more cultivated being to
restrain muscular action except when de-
sirable or necessary.
"And now for my point" DIR. Murray
continued earnestly. "This increasing
facial comforting so noticeable nowadays
indicates nothing more or less than the
weakening of this great force, self re-
straint, thus permitting the body to re-
spond to the mind to the fullest extent as
In the case of women talking to them
selves, or, in a lesser degree, as In the
nervous twitching of the mouth.
"Inhibitory power Is naturally weakened
by hunger, fatigue or any form of nerve
exhaustion. The fact that women are los
ing rather than gaining this power of self
management is matter of vital impor-
lance in connection with the new position
they are DESTROYS of holding in the TWEEN
tieth century civilization"
Miss Grace Dodge, who has made q spe-
cial study of feminine human nature, ex-
pressed the opinion that the intense nerv-
BUSINESS among women of the present day,
and their lack of training in "quietness'
was one great reason for the face twitching
so prevalent at this end of the century.
"Let women learn to be moderate" she
said, land to take quiet views on even i'm
portant matters, and nervousness will
cease and faces In repose will be the rule
instead of the exception, as we find them
today. 1t is possible, II one were to study
deeply enough into the MATTER that such
reasons as morphine, alcohol and other
stimulants might come to the surface to
account or help account for the difficulty,
but OF this am not prepared to give q su-
perfcial opinion. New York journal.