The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-08-07
NERVOUSNESS IS ON
EMERSON
Head of Indiana Medical Col
lege Speaks Before
Doctors Here.
A VACATION ADVISED

According to DR.. Charles p. Emer-
son, head of the Indiana Medical col
lege, who spoke before the Wayne
County Medical Society yesterday, ner-
vousness is increasing and is much
more common among people than it
was two or three generations ago. He
attributes this to the fact that our
present mode of living makes an in
tensive, very active life more possible
than it was in the time of our ances-
tors.
Our present mode of lighting, heat
ing, transportation and other modern
conveniences makes activities as pos
sible in the winter as in the summer"
he said. my great grandfather could
not travel in winter on account of the
snow drifts; he went to bed as soon
as 1t got dark, because their torches
did not make sufficient light to read
by, and so he had the entire winter
to rest and allow his system to recu-
perate."
Nervousness, often is the result of
overwork, which shows itself in the
following symptoms: First, in the case
of over-work, lack of ingenuity and
the ability to cope with unusual prob
lens shows; then a lack Of interest
and love for the particular work; then
a fear of mistake and ridicule. Anoth-
er cause of nervousness is worry, es-
pecially when it is long continued and
the patient finds it impossible to
throw off the consideration of the GER
tain subject which is worrying him"
Nervousness caused by oVerWork,"
said the doctor "can be remedied by
taking a vacation every year and al.
lowing the system a complete rest. l
know of a certain specialist, the great
est in this country, who goes to work
at $50 in the morning and works I'M
til / O'Clock saying that his work in
three hours, with no nervous fatigue,
is more satisfying than a whole days
work with over worked nerves as the
result. Another specialist takes three
months vacation every year, asserting
that he cannot afford to do otherwise,
since by this method his work is so
much more satisfactory and accurate
in every detail"
"A certain man was brought to me
after having been pronounced insane
by one of the greatest specialists of
the country. 1t was discovered that
this man had not taken a vacation of
more than twenty four hours duration
for twenty five years. After rest of
two weeks this man was entirely well,
but before he had taken this treatment
his condition, brought about by mental
fatigue, was very much like insanity,
enough so to deceive one OF the great
est specialists of the country"
DR.. Anderson further said that he
believed that much so-called neuras-
thenia Is the result of the unknown
progress of a chronic disease in the
system of the patient. In this connec-
ton he said, Il claim that there is no
chronic disease which, for a period
covering days, weeks, months and ev-
en- years, is not diagnosed as neuras-
thenia when the rundown condition Of
the nerves is merely a result of the
unsupported progress of the underly-
ing disease in the system. l would go
further than this and state that there
is no such thing as neurasthenia, but
that it is all the result of conditions
brought about by the hidden, and un-
known disease. When certain doctors
persist in classifying cases as,typical-
ly nervous, it is no more or less than
a confession of an incorrect andincom.
plete diagnosis and ignorance of the
true state of the patient"
New York Is calling for amendment