The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-07-25
AMERICAN NERVOUSNESS.


The belief III the greater nervousness
o. the American seems yesy Widespread.
Tie late d.. Beard Of NV YORK Vas
I CT the first to describe nervous rrs5-
tration and to give il its medical name
Of neur@sthetia. So that il has often been
spoken Ct Is 'tilc American disease
Il his wo1, on "tMerscun Nervous
ness he treats chiefly e the causes f
ceptiag almost ~ i'll axiom The state
mcnt that Americans ..e more nervous
than any other rac@ and that there is q
vastly greater amount e nGryaus disease
III this country than III Europe. He adj
mits, however, that the se1erer forms Of
organic nervous disease, such rs locomo-
tor ataSia ard apopleNF, are probably
less frequent, the increase being il the
SO called functional conditions, neuras-
thenia, hystcria and t. like. It isprob-
able that the majority Ct educated peo-
pie not physicians il thiscauntry would
admit without d mur2rcr that as 4 poo-
pie we are peculiarly subject to nervous
disease.
Although, as : lave said, the statis-
tics are not conclusive. neyt rtLolcss sch
statistics as Wehaye and the Conclusions
drawn from various general impressions
absolutely contradict this lelief. l. is
only since tho war Ct 1912 that the
American has acquired his reputation
for restless energy. HeiIle that he was
denounced as incident 1nd sluggish. Up
to the period Of tho civil war he was
also denounced as physically degenerate,
inferior III bulk, strength and enGur-
ance to his English cousin. The civil
war put al end u slch talk. No armies
endured more than oars III the field; no
people endured mere than those who
staid behind waiting and helping.
The record If the first Kentucky Iri-
gade III the Confederate army, almost
continuously i'll action or on the march
for 1oQ days ii 1861; rotreatsng from
their homes, with the hope Ct Success
steadily fading away, LILO strong at
the beginning. suffering 1850 fatal or
hospital wounds, with only so left un-
wounded, yet mastering $40 AZ the cnd,
with less than 10 desertlons-Such q
record has never been surpassed. These
men We're Gf the purtst American stock.
At about the same time DIR. Brown
Sequard found that the American mann
mails survived injuries that were iHtyi-
tably fatal to the European, and cur
surgeons found q surprising percentage
OF recovery from severe gunshot
wounds, greater probably than had ever
been observed il Europe. Dr.. B. 4.
Gould found that the American soldier
was physically as we'll developed Is the
European. and Dr.. H. 2. BaHditch
found that the American ~schoolboy wa
the equal III measurement Of the boys
Of Elton and Rugby. American life in
surance underwriters. toe, have found
that the longevity il this country Is as
great as it is III Europe, or greater. The
rise Of the south since the civil WI
and tie prompt recovery Ct individual
communities. such As Chicago, Boston
and Portland, after great confiagrations,
are further instances Of the great reeu-
peratlye power Il our people.
Since the civil war cur physical con
dition has greatly improved. The great
er interest ii athletics ana better d X
ing have probably had something t. do
with this Improvement. We have held
the Americas cup for nearly 80 years.
In shooting, cricket, rowing and tennis
VIZ have not been inferior III interna-
tlonal contests. In track athletics Yale
has recently shown her superiority to
Cambridge. and the New York athletes
have not only surpassed their London
rivals, but have established new worlds
records i'll more than i event. III the
famous ride a few years age between
Berlin and Vienna tine picked riders
AID horses of the Austrian and German
armies were used up, yet our cavalry
men and express messengers OH the
plains, with ordinary mounts, have
made better records both for time aud
distance, without the slightest injury
to horses or men.-Dr. Philip G. knapp
III Century.