The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-31
Medical Notes.

Sleep is defined by Liebig in the follow
ing words: Since, in different individ-
uals, according to the amount of force
consumed in producing voluntary effects,
unequal quantities of living tissues are
wasted, there must occur in every in
dividual. unless the phenomena of mo-
ton are to cease entirely, a condition in
which all voluntary motions are COM
pletely checked, in which therefore these
occasion no waste Carpenter says:
THE occasional suspension of sensorial
activity is requisite for the PREPARATION
of the destructive effects of that activity;
so that, however unfavorable may be the
external circumstances, sleep will super
vene as necessary result of exhaustion
when this has been carried very far"
Practically therefore sleep is periodi-
cal natural condition, in which the vol
untary or exhausting powers, bosh of
body and mind, being at rest, the in
voluntary or life sustaining and repara-
tive powers have, or=ought to have time
for restoring the material of the living
body, which has been used up duTing the
hours of wakeful activity. Such being
the case it Is manifestly necessary that
the supply of sleep should be proportion
ately adequate to the reparatice require
ments of the body and mind, and this
cannot be absolutely regulated by any
Interchangeable and limited laws
Early to bed and early to rise is a
very good general rule, but it has it's
limitations making its univ ersaI applica-
ton harmful 1t is, in fact. a matter
OF necessity, due to circumstance and
environment. The farmer, exhausted by
hard days labor in the fields goes
to bed with the cows because he has TO
be up with them in the morning More
over. in ha HoI1 Ief+
advantage and with more comfort be-
lore the sun is high in the heavens, and
this allows him longer resting spell
at midday. Hence the farmer is the ex-
IRENE type Of the early-to-bed and to
rise man. The working man can spend
Few hours more in bed than his
brother who tills the SOIL but he too
must be up betimes to be- on hand at
the shop when the whistle blows and
late night hours interfere with his early
rising so he perforce retires early in
the evening. The man of business goes
to his office at q later hour and he can
therefore afford, with the student who
is also late riser, to burn the midnight
OIL, but all these men must have their
proper proportion of sleep.
The amount of sleep is a VARYING fac
tor as the individual varies in health and
ON
women require more sleep than men. and
that tall and stout persons require more
sleep than short and thin people The
Infant spends at least twenty out of
the twenty-four hours in sleep. The
adult. as rule, requires from seven
to eight, but as the individual ages he
becomes more wakeful and requires less
sleep. The average therefore Is eight
hours Of sleep, and, at first sight, it
would seem that the time of sleeping
would make no difference in the restful
and reparative effects If the average
amount of sleep was obtained. Practical
ly 1t does make great difference
AS reasonable example of early rising
the individual should so to bed at 10
o'clock and rise at g. or as early as pos.
sible without a feeling of sleepiness or
lang1or. The feeling of perfect refresh
nent and restoration is the proof of the
efficacy of sleep. but a lingering tired
feeling upon waking proves that sleep
has not been normal in character Such
person, if he attempts the habits of
an early riser, may think that he is
benefited by it for a while. but soon
the novelty wears off and the languor
increases; the breakfast, which the early
riser devours with gusto, is untasted or
distasteful to the weaker brother VINO
does not have the constitution to uphold
him
Increasing the number of hours of