Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-04-06
WORK. THE GREAT MEDICINE

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 Dr. H. J. Hall, writing in the Journal of the American Medical association, breaches the vlr tues of the work cure for the great group of human ailments more or less loosely described as neurasthenic He tells how he began expert menting with the work cure about five years ago, and he says that while he has had some tough cases, every one of them has been greatly help ed, and nearly all of them completely cured, by work.
 That may seem somewhat absurd to the per son who believes that his nervous condition is due to exhaustion from overwork but it sounds like good common sense. Where the nervous patient errs is in supposing that his trouble is due to overwork. It isn't, in nine cases out of ten; it is far more likely that it is due to worry, especially worry about himself and his physical condition.
 The neurasthenic leads an unhappy life, and it does not tighten his burden that he gets little sympathy, especially little from those with coarse fbers whose imaginations cannot grasp the reality of ''nerves." We say ''he" for con venience; more often 1t is ''she." He IS sub feet to all kinds of fears-fear of closed places, fear of open places, fear of contagion, fear of insanity fear of many things-e even fear of fear itself. He constantly imagines himself afflicted with all kinds of ailments. He is hypochondriac pessimistic, doubtful he lacks confidence in him. self, hesitates to make up his mind, fears to trust his own decisions. His condition makes him think much of himself, thinking makes his condition worse, the increase in his disorder makes him think still more about himself, and that adds to his sufferings. It is a vicious cir cle that once started, it is pretty hard to break
 Medicine won't help him. unless he takes it with such faith in its effect as to break up the mental influence under which he suffers. What is needed is something to break that vicious cir cle, and to get himself to thinking about some thing besides himself Change will do that; if he has ey-and very often the neurasthenic is well-to-d or better-he can travel and thus get the distraction he needs. Change of scenes, change of environments anything to get his morbid mind off his own condition. So largely mental is that condition that Christian Science, psychotherapy, even the hocus- -pocus of magic, if he believes in it. may destroy it and restore a normal banance.
 The suggestion of work is as good as another, providing clear distinction is made between work and drudgery That may cause the suf- ferer who is working every day to smile gloom fly; but work will help him. too. What he needs is work that is different from his daily task; a hobby that will interest him and keep his hands and mind busy If the sufferer is clerk or bookkeeper or anybody who uses his brain much rather than his hands, let him put his hands at work. A chest of carpenters tools wagon load of lumber, an attic fixed up as workroom there is prescription that may do more good than all the contents of all the drug stores in town. The chief trouble with the neurasthenic is that he thinks too much about himself If he will keep his bodily tone up by plenty of fresh air, good food, outdoor exercise, daily baths and correct habits, and give his mind something to work upon besides his symptoms, he will strug- gle out of the Slough of Despond and find firm footing on the heights of hope courage and good cheer
 This is real prescription for real ailment. To say that the condition for which Dr. Hall .prescrbes work is unreal because it is largely mental to state an untruth. It is real, because the victim suffers, and he would gladly trade his so-called imaginary troubles for real ache or pain that he could grapple with-always pro- viding of course, that it didn't represent any thing fatal; for your neurasthenic, with all his gloomy fears and doubts, clings to life as jeal- ously as any, and usually outlives those whose sutferings are more tangible.
 
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