Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-07-17
righf, I9N. By a. !
FRICTION.

(copyright. 1914 By A. S. Grsy)
FRICTION.
The life and efficiency Of every ma
chine depends on overcoming friction.
Friction wears things out, and to over
como friction IL the recognized need
Of today in every branch of industrial
activity. A large item in the cost OF
operating every machine IL that cover
ing anti-friction bearings and lubri-
cants. Neglected friction will quickly
wreck and land any machine on the
scrap pile.
Railway systems. steamship lines
manufacturing plants Of every descrip-
tion. telegraph and telephone com
panies. great and small. oil employ
highly trained and well paid experts
constantly to supervise and test appa-
ratus and structure for the purpose OF
guarding against breakdown from the
development of any inherent weakness
In physical equipment and to test imam
cial and executive departments in or
der to insure against breakdown OF
any loss of efficiency in these i'm
portant functions of our great artificial
bodies. Experience has evolved q now
well established economic theory In
the busines world to the effect that
It IL cheaper to spend money to pre-
vent wrecks than It Is to spend money
to clear away and repair wreckage'
But for man himself, the one funda'
mental factor upon and for whom the
entire industrial structure exists. this
theory Of the business world is re
versed. The theory upon which the
medical profession has been organized
h highly absurd and irrational. The
physician must stand around and wait
until there Is human breakdown. and
then he is called in only as q repair
man-frequently too late to secure
worth while results.
A machine win squeal and squea1
and sob when In trouble, and We all
know there are but two alternatives
to such conditions-rest and lubrica
ton to overcome the roughness. or an
early trip to the Junk yard. And 1t IL
the same with man: Man feels. and
on every side we see evidence Of the
squealing. the squeaking and the sob
bing Of the nerves composing the hu
man machine: and but little effort II
made to remove the cause. And in oul
mortality and other statistical tables
We see the result In an ever rising
premature mortality-an enormous
economic loss through destruction al
what should be the period Of greatest
usefulness and efficiency.
Genius IL the type of mind that per
ceives and grasps principles where the
ordinary mind sees only isolated facts
Grille. with the flash Of genius grasp
ing the principle of cell exhaustion, de
veloped and demonstrated It to be the
cause Of death from shock" dis
covery acknowledged by no less an au
thority than Sir Berkeley Moynihan Al
q recent meeting of the British Medi
cal association to be "epoch-making.'
It is "epoch-making," not only be
cause 1t has reduced death from
surgical shock" to an almost negli
gible quantity. but "epoch-making" be
cause 1t gives q rational explanation
to the serious physical and mental re
suits arising from long continued irri
tation Of any part Of the body, wheth
er the victim be conscious or uncon
scious Of the irritation. It Is epoch
making" because It establishes a rea
Sonahle cause for and q sane basis
from which to combat intelligently
that large group of vague but most
distressing troubles covered by the
general term neurasthenia, conditions
treated with little success but consid
cradle levity and profit by a large per
'centage of the profession. And fur
ther It Is "epoch-making" because II
demonstrates man to be subject to the
same laws as the primary battery-i'
proves we can be run down and ex
hausted even beyond the point of re
cuperation by too frequently repeated
nerve cell discharges incident to the
daily routine Of life. We may short
circuit and exhaust our cells by use
less worry. work and friction, or We
may guard our tissues and so conserve
our vitality as to live long and happily
It Is largely matter Of avoiding fric
tion-irritation.
It matters not whether the irritation
be in the eyes. the feet or the abdo
men. the final exhaustion is in the
brain. and the net result Is premature
decay.