The Washington herald., 1910-08-30
A BENEFIT IN WORK.
Man Physically UNIT Exercises More
Brain Energy Than When Fit.

Brain Energy Than When Fit.
From the Boston Herald
London-f you want to do your very
best brain work, don't keep yourself too
fit. That seems to be the startling les
son to be drawn from a conversation a
correspondent has been having with a
physician.
But remember, too. that the longer
you work when you are really H. the
greater will be the breakdown which
must inevitably follow" he added. by
way of warning.
1T is generally considered that man
who is physically fit necessarily does
better brain work that a man who IS
slightly of color. This is by no means
the case. for under certain circum-
stances man who Is not physically ht
is capable OF better work than a man
in the best Of health OF course, am
not referring 70 cases of serious illness.
but 70 cases where a man is 'seedy. out
OF sorts, or possibly sickening for some
Illness.
Let US suppose that the man Is slight
/ " feverish Now, fever invariably has
tens all the processes Of the human body
for example, it produces an increased
flow Of ideas. In the case Of the novelist
or man whose work requires vivid i'm
agination. such a state OF mind would
naturally be vaiuable-up TO a point But
an increase OF fever beyond that point
does not imply an Increase Of ideas-at
least not Of coherent ideas. Il Is this
vast confusion OF ideas due TO inc-eas-
ing fever that finally produces deIirium.
But the chief cause Of a man doing
better work when he is in Is the in
creased viii power he summons on such
occasions. When a man IS extremely
fit he thinks everything else in the world
is all right He feels that everything Is
going on excellently. He does no, do
quite his best He tries only three quar-
tiers as hard as he can.
Just as a man who never takes vio-
lent exercise, never uses the whole OF
his lungs, but has a reserve, so n 9st
people have reserve Of will power
which they fall back on when they are
III and are obliged 20 work notwith-
standing 1t requires illness to bring
out this Will power. The man feels out
OF sorts, and realizes that he must con
centrate all his attention on his work
II any good is 70 result, and the effect OF
this mental effort Is a vast gain Of will
power, which naturally tends 70 produce
good work. Again, slight illness always
tends 10 induce a feeling Of self-detach-
ment. The mind does not concern itself
with irrelevant details. but goes straight
20 the most important point
We have many instances OF excellent
work done by writer's when everything
but physically At. Green was in -e-y
poor health when he wrote his Shorter
History OF the English People while
that portion OF Wilkie Collins novel.
The Moonstone. which has always
proved the most popular. was accom-
plished by its author when on a bed Of
sickness.
1T is impossible TO say how long any
one who Is III can 20 on accomplishing
good work. II all depends on tempera-
ment and constitution. one thing. how
ever, is certain. The greater the dura-
ton OF work accomplished under such
circumstances. the greater the subse-
quent reaction"
Another physician, discussing the same
subject, told Of a case in point with which
he had been acquainted.
"A man Unexpectedly got his chance
in an Office by the sudden illness Of his
chief. II was an Office where ideas were
Of paramount value Al the time this
man was sickenins from a grievous ner.
vous Illness and was in fact, exceed
ingly IN and feverish. For over a month
ne did such excellent work that he got a
large increase in salary. Two or three
years later. when he was as fat as ever
he was IN HIS life, his chance came
again, but he could not take advantage
Of it. He wanted illness to bring out
the latent will power and a little fever
to quicken his flowing ideas"