The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-02-06
Peril in Tea, Coffee, Tobac-
co, Movies, Phones, Cars
and Labor Savers.
NERVES ALWAYS JARRED
Popular Modern Pleasure De-
vices Are Condemned as
Health Wreckers.

we Americans are rusking madly
toward the grave. flogging ourselves
with stimulants as we gallop through
life"
This Is the ultimatum of DR.. Eu-
gene Lyman Fisk, head of the Life
Extension Institute, which has been
carrying on a series of investigate
as to the effect OF modern existence
upon physical and mental Health.
The insane haste with which we
tive and our national habit of over
stimulation are proved by the new
life tables OF the United States Cen
sus Bureau" DR.. Fisk said yesterday.
Il have just received word from the
Census Office that the new tables,
based on the health and mortality
reports for 1890. 1900, 1910 and 1920.
support the contention OF this insti-
tute that there has been no true de-
crease in the death rate.
"The new tables will show that
while there has been a saving of life
among young people the mortality
among persons over 40 has actually
increased. Why? Just as I say, mad
haste and overstimulation.
When T talk about stimulants I
don't mean alcohol alone, for alcohol is
drug. I mean tobacco. coffee, tea,
motion pictures. the telephone, the
typewriter, the electric light, the motor
car, the newspaper. the magazines.
labor saving machinery. heating devices
"a hundred pleasureable but health
wrecking inventions and discoveries of
the last fifty years all dumped upon
us In relatively short space of time.
when as matter Of fact we should
have had several centuries to get used
to them, to take them moderately and
temporarily.
Remittance Powers softened.
I'VE know that the motion picture
has reacted on eyesight. We know that
modern improvements in heating rooms
and Offices and cars have softened our
powers OF resistance to cold. We know
that automobiles and electric cars have
seduced us from. walking and have
robbed us of the physical exercise i'm
peratively necessary to health All
these modern improvements. telephone
motion picture, electric light. newspa-
pers, have had the cumulative effect OF
making life more nervously tense. The
pace Of daily life has become headlong
and 10 accompanied by din and con-
fusion that stretch nervous systems
&c the breaking point whether we are
aware of 1t always or not.
Eyes. ears. nerves and brain are
and rush Of modern life. and the newt
able consequence is fatigue. We get
tired quickly because our nerves are
pounded every hour in the day When
we feel fatigue the natural human i'm
pulse IL to take bracer OF some kind.
The right thing to do would be to let
down on nervous activity. but unfortu-
nately life In the United States is so
fiercely competitive that II is difficult
for many to ease up. They feel that
they must 20 on or be dropped out Of
the race for money or fame. SO they
take to stimulants. They turn to cock
tails, coffee, tobacco and. in shock
ing number of cases. to drugs.
Millions OF Americans go round and
round in a. vicious circle caused by their
nnhygienic life habits. Overstimulated
nv noise and headlong activity they feel
themselves dragging with fatigue. Then
70 get rid OF the fatigue they poison
their bodies and minds with artificial
stimulants When the brief effect Of
these is over they are more fatieued
than ever and again they resort to slim
uIants. In addition to what they take
into their tortured stomachs there are
innumerable mental stimulants that they
catch I'D as they run--hastily read
newspapers, hastily seen plays. hastily
viewed motion pictures hastily run of.
speed burning motor car rides. profess
elonai athletic events that excite the
mind and nerves.
Work Need Hurt Nobody.
1--WE Americans are not overworking.
7 want TO make myself clear about that.
Our Investigations have shown that
work, even in immense quantities. never
hurt anybody II done IN the righ. way.
nv the right methods. The other dav
the vice-pre eident OF big New York
corporation. a young man OF So. came
in TO see me. He told me that he had
been working every dav and far into
the night and that he had kept himself
going hy constant smoking and constant
coffee drinking. He was afraid that he
had injured himself. When We exam
ined him we found evidences Of serious
trouble due to his folly in driving him
self with stimuiants. A little knowledge
III ny6leHrs ~ Httit VI INV
and when to let down occasionally In
order to speed up little later would
have saved MIN all that trouble.
"It Is pointed oi'f in .hc lessons issrcd
by this institute that We do not over
think and the fact app rs to be that
most of orr people are not thinking
enough. Among our big men there are
dynamic figures who are apt to amaze
us or delight us with some striking en-
preston or proposal. but usually such
outgivings 20 up like rockets and fall
down dead and forgotten. This Is prob
ably another instance Of overstimuatcd
nerves Much OF our so-calcd American
streruosity Is not strenuous thinking AZ
ell, but merely nervous mental jumping
about.
Most persons are doing too little real
brain work. The desk worker or bust
ness man who tolls frantically all day
against time and then snatches an eve
rfng paper. reads II swiftly. and enga see
In frantic argument with friend
about some OF the half established facts
which he has only half read is rot thinl,-
ing at all. He IL simply continuing the
hcadlong, nervous activity of the day
undorthinlSing. not everthinsing. Yet
this IL the routine mental life of the
majority OF Our working Amercaps as
anybody can note merely by ohsef wing
the crowds in the subway ho1teward
bound In the evening. I, is such isno-
rant manhandlinS OF our nervous ma