New-York tribune., 1907-08-04
THE TO QUIT WORKING
Price a Man Must Pay If He Keeps
ON Too Long.

C'c - w ANS'
When we have set out piece OF nnusculs,
work or head work might expect 70 find a
steady regular increase in the fatigue that "a
suited from it-so much work. much fatisus
But that is not the case The fatigue curve" ia
not a straight line sloping up from corner OF
the chart diagonally TO the other Instead II goes
sharply upward the start: then for a long dis
tabce IL along approximate level. and
then il takes sharp upward turn again
The level stage-the plateau OF hard, normal
working power. where the cost in energy doesn,
vary perceptfbly-is the second wind
You know how It IS IN Iong-distance running
At first the fatigue Increases very rapidly maa
has to push himself with all the Will power he can
muster. Then, all Of q sudden. IL gets easier. 4
seems as il he had tapped big. supply =
energy, and he keep running for long tina
without any great increase i his feeling of fagua
At las he reaches a point where the exeEtion tells
hard again: fatigue piles UP terribly fast now-s
fast that unless the runner knows Just how mum
he is good fo- and has made careful calculations
he is likely TO be "eH In before he gets 10 ths
end Every step makes inroad on his reserv.
energy. The last spurt costs more than all the res,
together.
If man has covered his distance without touch.
ing this final turn of the fatigue he will get
rested IN reasonably short time and be able
90 over the course again But IT, instead. he hss
10 keep on. teeth set eyes bulgiug. "hugging his
corn cObs" until he rolls over on the ground 4.
may take weeks for him get into good form
again In a big race. naturally. he's got 70 b
ready do that
There are emergencies in everybodys life when
the merely prudent thing isn't the right thing II
a house IS fire and family the top floor Is
in danger and you're the only person the prem
ises you can't stand calmly aside and caIculats
, your fatigue There's a necessity for action
at any cost whatever. even life.
man may have a big proposition TO put through
some important combination 60 eject,
movement to get under way Perhaps he is ths
only person who knows the whole situation: sue
cess may depend upon him In such case he
must let mere prudence go by the board-and hs
must stand ready 10 pay the price, TOO when that's
called for.
But such emergencies are not everyday matters.
Tomorrow going to have another days
business to attend 70. and the probability IS thas
II VIII be Just important tO-day's. COnse-
quently. We have right 70 overIrtve ourselves
to-day; for the price of il Will taken Of tbs
quality OF tO-morrOw's work We have done
enough when we have come IN sight ot rlat last
costly Jap. It's the time 20 quit
A great deal of interesting information about ths
nature Of fatigue has been made available through
the ergograph- ingenious recording apparatus
devised BY Professor Angso Mossa. q great Italian
scientist II works something after tis fashion:
You lay your hand. back down. on a ItrrIe table.
and 10 the end OF finger is attached a cord
which connects horizontally over a pulley with a
small hanging weight The motion OF cl1sir, tha
finger lifts the weight and as the effort is rs-
peated over and over again the fatigue symptoms
In the finger become clear ard can be observed and
recorded in detail
Now. Of the important discoveries that Pro-
fessor Mosso has made IS that II You keep raising
tIe weight until YOUR finger is exhausted II VIII
take just about hours Il. that IS. in two
hours YOU can do the same amount Of finger work
over again-and the least bit more.
You would imagine from this that II the experi-
ment We're repeated at the end Of one hour instead
OF two YOU could do JUST half rhe amount Of work
But its only one-iUarter as much.
That's the price of work ton OF fatigue. one
unfati-ued is 70 his work as four semi 1-Suad
men 20 the same work. Using all the strength YOU
have. you can't begin 70 get normal results. and
the strain Will and nervous energy IS terrific
Carrying thing through nerve is r.e cost
lest business indulge ir-
Some people. especially those OF nervous make
up. find il hard tell when the stopping point has
been resChed-that IS. Just where the dividing line
comes between energy funds available FOR invest
rl@rt and capital which cannot leEiiir's1i'-g -
tamnered with. II they get Interested in their
work they lose sight Of everything else and are
going on sheer nerve before they realize L.
Though fatigue symptoms vary greatly in differ
ent people. IT may be worth while To mention few
OF them here Sometimes there IS a flushing the
temples That the case with myself when have
been reading hard for two OF three hours ana then
I know thar l ought To call Il halt could keep on
reading with undiminished interest for good dea4
longer: but II would be At the price o. q Ss7p-sSS
night
With some people a sure sign Is the increased
circulation Of blood in the ears or cheeks Sons
people have queer feelings IN The pit OF the stomach
not nausea. but something suggestive Of II
one OF the most reliable tests is the control test
holding the arms horizontally at the SIDES ana
noticing whether or not the fingers treli''4e- -
fatigue condition raises the nerve pressure Si.'
and allows fow0vers from one nerve N!l' ftll''-- ~
Normally a nervous impulse goes along us HeIt'
directly 10 the point of strain; but wlen you g. -
fatSued the stimulus spreads y 10 otheF Ee''''
as well and is not distinctly Transmitted
Sir Francis Cialton, the great StatlS'lli4h. ~, -
that the best test ne knows is that of rest.eSsie
shown muscular movements Many tilsS t+S
says he has In a position where ne t'~'1 "a, 80"
an audience as it listened To some long sClenuno sCls
memoir. He took notes OF how people ac1rd - -,
the strain OF prOtriCted attention now OFTEN - -,
moved At the beginning of the hour tnes W tbs
sit quietly; then they would hvSIn u H"'s % ,srr
average of once every four SECONDS, '-I9i ~, =,
three seconds: and he says that II Is poSsi'4e -
trace right through any audience every ,t,
fatigue by the number OF muStCi' ll''
made . ., ,->.
Ua has sirnrlv nut together ulJtheuldtica.iy soH
data that are familiar to all OF US We nav nav hat
seen-and. alas. been part of-an audleI5' : rn-
was trying endure the HlSs NAN % D.l.- -, ,.,s-
anFurabe spsrrh Everybody was ShlftilS AlS -
ton crossing one Lex the other of oI'N @ es -
moving the fingers playing with watch cI-'l'' 20
chain yawninS tvitchiuG, folding pr0SF,iilii1e' -.
in-- eyeglasses. adjusting back h'ilr- t"'S''7
tache Those all fatigue SIGNS ,... ~.
A loss Of self-controI in small things tiH'' -
symptom in different terms, anu 'i'-
for II is irrtahility- - H., ss,si-
Al first n seems strange that this undue So =,
tiveness to slight stimuli should De ;" ,.,~a s
effect of fatigue: but 1t means tnat the -tions
gates are down and We become aware OF $50 tbat
pouring I'm from all sides. slight sens''lI'I = 80
ordinarily We take notice 'f oecAO .5,-on
laws OF attention-they quietly smut o'.e .trsI
90 ,onsc,o,,snesS But when our attention Is - -
no longer focused. but scatterins-aH 'iles ..1t
nerve pricks attack us insisteh'ly N''" "
neglect them -, -,,, ars
rested will be perfectly distraCtins when so- ON
tired You will go over and smut q VIM ~WIiiu % ths
will walk around aimlessly; you VIII ~ ,bsre IS
a light above YOU at an evening lecture i w d II
YOUR eyes almost beyond endurance -i~a tn
making the nervous system less reSpoh7' vors
strurlent. fatigue makes IL more reSpO"'
responsive. but less serviceaoIe- -, =. hstveen