Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-01-04
HUMOR As 4 MEDICINE
Why European Authority Barr
 Mark Twain's Works.
INJURIOUS AS 4 HEHrAL DIET

DTitish Medical Journal says Hansrs
 ist's Books Not Only Cheer, bat Ins
 ebriste-Aner1can Physic1ans whs
 Preseribe Then For Conva1esesats
 Ten of Their value-How JohA II
 PattissA Tsok tAe La1gh C1re.
 The British Medical Journal, . lead. ing European authority, in recent iS sue declares that Engnsh convaiescenb
 must avoid Mark Twain as . mental diet, says the New York American. It says:
 @ConvaIescenfs must not read Marx Twain's books; they not only cheer, but inebriate. TwaiRs books may pro yoke side splitting laughter and so re tard the union of severed or lacerated parts in the healing process"
 But two of New Yorks foremost physicians. both nerve specialists. one of them Charles Weston Brandenburg professor at the New York Medical College and American institute, and J. Carleton Simon. former president of the One Hundred Year club, agree that Mark Twain az a mental diet can hard ly be surpassed.
 For years have prescribed Mark Twain. Bret Harte and Artemus Ward as regularly for my patients, most all of whom are sufferers from neurosis, as have prescribed the accepted food diet" declared Dr. Simon recently. Tt is rather startling to have Twain re garded as too vigorous. fancied him . more subdued writer than Ward, whom regard as one of the most luXuriant humorists. I seldom differ entiate between good humorous books because regard the vigorous stirring up of melanchoIiac's humorous sensi- bilities as good thing for the patients progress.
 As have always prescribed Twain and Ward so have always prescribed depressing books-Hamlet, for instance. In the same way all nerve specialists select or restrict the plays which their patients shall see
 "The explanation of the effect of humor-clean. wholesome humor-upon physical health is simple. Laughter the heart!er the better-increases the blood pressure. stimulates the produc- tion of red ccrpuscles and thus in creases the patients strength. There's an old adage. .Laugh and grow fat
 ''The Medical Journal may be right from an English point of view. as hu- nor is not an English characteristic. In America every individual cracks jokes. Messrs. Ryan and Hartman, if they should meet at directors meet ing. would immediately start to tell ing funny stories to prove their sur face indifference and hide any subway animosity. In England it is harder to launch jokes"
 When I was student in Cincin- natl, perhaps thirty years ago" said Dr. Brandenburg. ''the new governor of Ohio. inaugurated recently, John M Pattison, was my roommate He was studying law: I medicine. He was blue and i'll one night, and read Tom Sawyer to him. He laughed himself well.
 Each faculty of the mind has rela tion to particular part of the brain which it tends 10 develop and energize. Without the higher stimulus of litera- ture the sensual faculties in the pos terior brain would develop only a gross and degraded humanity.
 1.-The monotony of convalescence may be relieved not only by the stimulus of Mark Twain's books, but by gentle. harmonious music and social sur. roundings
 Laughter is one of the best, most natural forms of exercise I know of The idea that side splitting laughter may retard the healing of wounds is. l am afraid. a rife far fetched. 1 really think that granulation might be gently simulated instead. Of course. people have burst their hearts by laughing, but the instances were most exceptional"