The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-24
Medical Notes.


The necessity of devoting several hours
to sleep each day is too obvious, says the
Lancet, to admit of serious question We
have all met with people ou75ide of hos
pitals and of parliament who do half or
more of their work after nightfall. and
sleep long after earlier rising men are
awake and busy. Some Of them are went
TO extol the comfort of their morning
slumbers. They describe Is Immense the
refreshment they receive from six or sew
en- hours thus agreeably spent and no
wonder, for the sense of present satisfac-
ton must be very marked, and that for
definite reasons. Man, in COM
mon with most of the ami
NAL creation, has accepted the
plain suggestion CT nature that the an
proach Of night should imply Il cessation
of effort. If he ignores this principle lis
work is done again 1t inherited habit ard
therefore with additional fatigue. Natu-
rally, therefore when he does rest his re.
lief is in proportion to his weariness. AS
in many other cases, however, sensation
Is not here the mo.t trustworthy guide 20
Judiciors p"aCtt e. Established customs
afford far rruer Indie lrlpn Of the mcih-
cd most compatible with healthy exist
ence. The case of the ovelworked and
the invalid lends but deceptive ccIor to
the argument Of tie daylight sleeper. IN
them excessive waste OF tissue must be
made good, and sleep, always too scanty,
is at any time useful for this purpose. For
the healthy MAJORITY, however. the old
custom Of early est and early waking is
certain to prove IN future, as returns Of
longevity and comm IN experience alike
show that it has proved in the past, most
conducive to health and active life
A doctor writing in a medical paper
says: AN immense number of people
sleep on the left side, and this is the most
common cause of the unpleasant taste in
the mouth in the morning which is gener-
ally attributed to dyspepsia If a meal
has been taken within two or three hours
OF going to bed, to sleep OH the LEFT side
is to give the stomach a task which is DIFF
fcult in the extreme to perform The stu
dent Of anatomy knows that all food
leaves the stomach 1.-The right side, and
hence sleeping on lie left side soon after
eating involves sort of pumping opera
ton which is anything but conducive to
sound repose. Fbe- action of the heart
is also interfered with onsiderabiy, and
the lungs are unduly compressed. 1t
is probable that lying on the back Is the
| most natural position, but few men can
rest easily So hence it is best to cultivate
the habit of sleeping on the right side
a sense of dullness betrays something
wrong within him who feels it. he ma
be i'll and need a physician; he may be
Idle and need employment; he may BE-
narroWminded, and need broadening; he
may be selfish and need rousing to gen
erous impulses and lofty purposes.
! Whatever be the matter let him be sure
! that 1t is in himself, not In the place
where he lives or the people with whom
he is thrown. Everything IN life is inter-
esting only he has not found it out, nor
taken the trouble to observe or to sym
pathize. AS soon as he does this, as soon
as he goes out of himself and hastens to
act and to give, instead of waiting to be
! acted upon, and to receive, duilness flies
away and life is full of hope, earnest
ness and interest.
! To keep girls complications and spirits
! good, to preserve grace, strength, and
agility OF motion, there is 10 gymnasium
! so valuable, no exercise more beneficial
! in result than sweeping, busting, making
! beds, washing dishes, etc One year of
such muscular effort within doors, to-
| gether with regular exercise in the open
air, will do more for a girls complexion
than all the lotions and pomades that
were ever invented. Perhaps the reason
! why housework does so much more for
women than games is the fact that ex-
ercise which is Immediately productive
cheers the spirit. 1t gives women coiir-
age to go on living and makes things
really seem worth understanding.
The Importance of keeping the surfaee
! and extremities of the body warm dur
! ing brain work has long been recognized
in 4 general way; but Prof Mosso, of
Turin. has demonstrated that when the
brain is active much more blood is sent
| to it from the peripheral parts of the
body. He has also found that the circu-
ladon of the blood in the brain is sub
jeet to fluctuations which are apparently
not dependent on physical activity. Fa-