The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-09
A DISEASE CALLED MODERN
NERrOUS EXHAUSTION. IT'S ORTGIN
ms TREITMENT
No More u Sew Addiction Than Appendicitis
-GrnNity and Increasing Prevalence or
tn" Aiimrnt- Rcmedics Here and Abroad
Dnn'L MnrrY (lubs commended.

Wv W." y ~ AAH S"N
Don't Worry Clubs commended.
wAsnINGro~. ArriD < Nervous exhaustion.
Ike Appendicitis. hns been popularity looked
upon as u disease ~ modern life. and n vague
ono at that-a generally wrctched condition
induced by sharp rivalry In the pursuit OF tho
elusive dollar, especially in this country.
Nearly twenty years agp DR.. Beard wrote "A
book chiefly about il. in which he called it
American nervousness. aud said II was II new
thing under the sun. This it was not. any
morcthau il is u now thing for ON" to get "A seed
IN the ycrmiform appendix. Long ago peopl"
did not know it when Trey had appendicitis.
and their ignorance was a good thing. II the
doctors had known the cause uf their trouble
they would have carved thom As they do now
or. rather. as thov did n little time aGo. for
there IL II reaction against tho use of tho
knife. The victims 81 the foreign substance in
the Ormlik apprndiN used to get well. and
the records Of private practice show that they
got well now without an operation. II Is sup
posed that people had nervous exhaustion long
ago. only 1t was not frequent enough TO get it,
self classified. besides. the doctors were gen
erHl practitioners aud diseases Of the nervous
system did not receive tho special study they
get now. For nearly twenty years. until re-
Gently. when one had that tired feeling his
friends and at last the doctor told him no had
nervous exhaustion or nervous prostration.
without a very clear idea Of the matter.
What was essential to this diagnosis was n
loss OF Ia" knn"k Of sleeping. frequent head
aches. a hackarhr. IN" blue devils. l~aziness.
with r"stlcssncss, dark furebodings. stomach
pains after eating. VA riable appetite. a general
loss Of moral tone. and so ON. The fact Is that
Il ease OF nervous exhaustion may show some
OF the symptoms Of every distinct nervous dis
order and lead tn" victim to believe he has
everything from heart disease to soft"ning of
the brain. This is not surprising in view Of the
recent discoveries. since the entire nervous
system is involved. 1t is now recognized as n
distinct disease hy the profession under the
name Of ncurasthcmia. Tn" French often AS
sociate it with hysicria. Just what changes
take place in the nerves is not settled. hut the
doctors are satisfied with the explanation that
there is persistent enlightenment Of neural en-
ergy or Il lack Of nerve force. To any one who
understands the part the nervous system plays
IN tn" body. il is plain that n lack Of energy
In the nerves must make Il tremendous
Difference in ones life. For example. it Is tho
nerves that keen the temperature of the body
the same. whether q man j. at the equator or
the north pole. Tho nerves are III" regulators
of everything that goes ON in the body, and
when they are not properly nourished either
because they do not get the right sort Of food
or are unable to appropriate fittings all go
wrong. No doubt the conditions Of modern
life. tn" Increasing difficulty of living at ease
and in quiet for most people. have enlarged the
proportion ui sufferers from this very terrible
HfHicti"n. Very many people have it or have
had II or will have II. and It's causes. course
and treatment are the special study of famous
doctors. Everybody knows how common
diseases Of the nervous system are. Well. by
far the greater number Of the victims suffer
from nelrasthcnia. This surely gives war
rant enough for all the attention IL receives. or
IL likely to.
Mere slccrlessness IL rad enough. II f. lust
rs had as sleep is good. and the most Thought
full and observing men have paid the highest
tribute to s!ecp-whtch "knits up the ravcIled
sleeve Of care When TO- insomnia is add, |
profound depression ur spirits. awful forebod-
ings. all the mote dreadful because they are
vague. It mnn'~ state grows well nigh intolvr-
able. Tn" feeling of Ins~itudc in nervous rX-
haustion i not like the lauguor Of convaIrs-
ccncc. for II * associated wth the rrstlcs,ncss
Of the cuptiN" u"'or boar, without he energy or
strength To- pace. tn" sense Of weakness and
i'm patirnc" IL bIIlor Ia bear. There is nothing
sweet and tcudor IN the melancholy Of this all
ment. Headache. complicated and various. is
the most usual Of all the symptoms. and there
are often pains in the back aud shifting aches.
What is strange. alcoholic liuuur Will often
mitigate the severity Of the headache. Free
au'hl!F 'h''' are 'hIlIl"''"ilS oil the h"art mat
arc very "l9'lcSN'hE ana en"d'n bushes or
extreme hot NasII'N 'ha' l"aN" ono dripping,
but ar" soon succeeded 10y nrh,II. In short. all
h"t'a "' sensations ha'uFi'llS a''"lN Il nervous
h'S''m "'''ch - MOI "i""I 10 II" WORN.
N'iN"n4 'Nh'""'l'l MAY h' El"'" frequent
among .'N'''''lu" ''l'' l''Nt "h'r N""il'S : bit
not al, IN it, hy-t"rirIl torn it att tck- NOR.
Hebrew in irouurtlun To- their number than
American. who ho"S' of tnrt" "yerw"rk a.
'h''Eh y WERE" N'''l'' I"' eminent heilh
e''''''IS'' nav '''', ','"'''h !" hFo'cr'"-
neut"s'""hlt among hebrews aHH ~" New
doIh S'"''S''S "ic '"h''"-l'" on 'nht l"!h''
h'ui"s'h'h'' l''''h'7 WI" receive" treat
mrht 1T 'ir ''l"i' i" PEE cent ar" RUSSIAN
ioish anu AWN'rlah' "h''' + ""' 81 AL pro-
'"i''u'' ~ ,''It l''''''' h"''n''N III ia" c'il-
MUMMY vi h''ni' pai!'h''" % az hhli~' lhlS
"rui'""H tact Tor Wh''h 1t" '~Npana'I"h Is OIL
e.eu' o"' II suE"'7'9 'h' -"'l'Nh"n'
l" '"Io''''' "i' N"E%'N'N' "'s""N"'N TX
tndt COMPASSIONATE IL a llSrt ~ Il indoor me-. II