The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-09-19

is the second commonest of all
symptoms. Meakins found that
436 Of a 1000 complained most Of
weakness or fatigue. And yet ia
miliar as it is what does it con-
sist in Where is it located? How
can you describe it?
1t occurs as a perfectly normal
and eXplainable result of exertion,
a long period of concentrated
work. That is physiological ia
tigue. 1t occurs as a symptom of
many, if not most, organic dis
eases, as a constant accompani-
ment, not the result of eXertion.
And, as we all know, in the form
of that tired feeling" it is the
congenital endowment of a GER
tain class Of people who do nothing
to deserve it. In fact the only
classes of human beings who do
not seem to suffer from fatigue
sometime or other are idiots, Vice
Presidential candidates, and little
boys.
Fatigue Manifestations
How do you know when you are
fatigued? 1t may seem a foolish
question, but, according to DR..
Donald Laird, who has studied it
in a psychological laboratory, IA
tigue may manifest itself in many
unexpected ways. Restlessness,
for one. Excessive perspiration,
candy and tobacco taste fiat, itchi-
ness, a tendency to laugh sense
lessly, tendency to misplace con-
stantly used articles, such as spec
tacles or false teeth, a tendency
to change to another job before
completing the one you are on,
are some of the others.
Psychologists have talked for a
long time about the accumulation
of fatigue substances in the blood,
but the only definitely proved
chemical substance found is lac
tic acid.
Causes Of Fatigue
Study of the causes of fatigue
resulting from exertion show pre-
ponderantly that it is not so much
the exertion itself that will cause
fatigue as extraneous factors
such as lack of rest pauses, made
quate sleep between working days,
and light, noise, vibration and
ventilation. When noise in work
room is louder than As dicibels it
precipitates a body reaction con-
sisting of tenseness of muscles
both voluntary and involuntary
and increased blood pressure. Pro-
fessional typists, under test con-
ditions, showed these reactions Is
per cent more when tipping in a
room with SIS dicibels noise than
in the same room with 40 dicibels
noise. Vibration is what tires you
in automobile or train riding.
Nutrition, as might be expected,
plays a constant and major role
in reducing fatigue. No, not vita.
minis, just plain old sugar! At
Colgate University fatigue recov-
cry on climbing two flights Of
stairs was carefully measured and
the fatigue recovery value of eat
ing sugar before hand can be cal
culated in almost mathematical
terms. The improvement on sugar
days was S.9 per cent better for
the motor-visual reaction time, IL
per cent better for body sway
with the ataxiagraph, 2 per cent
better for eye-hand coordination,
and IL per cent better for atten-
ton lag. That is getting it down
pretty fine. 1t certainly justifies
the mid-morning and mid-after-
noon snack, and shows up the pop
and cola and ice cream and candy
bar vending machines not as a
base commercial form Of pander-
ing, but as a highly scientific and
properly accredited aid to indus
try.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
II. W.:-Should a woman who is
pregnant take calcium phosphor-
US waters? II so how much and
what kind?
Answer: The pregnant woman
needs lots Of calcium and phos-
phorus, but the best way to get
them is in ordinary food stuffs-
milk, eggs, vegetables, fruits.