Widnes Examiner. — 1894-09-29 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

MENTAL STRAIN.  Every one has a certain amount of nerve power. Call it mental activity, energy. or vitality if you will—it comes to the same thing, and means that each person has a definite capacity for mental work. Curiously, many people do not fully understand that mussular as well as mental work calls for nerve expenditure; that the pedestrian, the cyclist, or the football player can only call his muscles into persistent and intelligent action by demands upon his nervous system. The individual who possesses a good store of nervous energy finds his tnu,cles move freely, because his thoughts flow quickly ; as deficiency means indolence, incapacity, and an inferior place in the race of life. In a normal state of health, each person . has, says a medical writer in the "Newcastle Weekly Chronicle," at command, not only a sufficient store of nerve power to enable him to carry on the ordinary functions of life kthought, motion, respiration,digestion, &c.), but he has beyond this a reserve fund for use on extracrdinary occasions. The misfortune of modern existence has been the discovery of. this store, and the belief that it is unlimited or inexhaustible. Grant that two men have the same amount of mental power. If one works twice as much as the others it follows, other things being (qua!, that one is living twice ! as fast as the other. The moderate worker may attain the age of 80 years; the over-strained may be cut off at 40. The former has lived the " extensive " life, the latter the " inextensive." As society is constituted, we s begin our lives in the wrong way. To begin with, school pressure exerts its baneful influence. Then the father has learned, often, by a bitter experience that professional or commercial life is competition all through, and ;-• he therefore believes he is doing his du y by sending his children to ,chool at an earls- age, and urges upon them , the necessity of taking scholarships and degrees at an . age often all too tender to bear the strain. On the cornpletion of our education, we are face to face with the necessity of "making a living," but many mistake this, s:s= for a command to become rapidly wealthy or famous, and so attempt mental efforts beyond their organization. s. We can understand how the literary, artistic., or scientific- s. man may fail to notice where he is drifting to, but it is= difficult to realise the ignorance of the commercial man ; in this matter, why he does not see that, if his object is. ' to accumulate wealth, it should be his first endea,v(ibr to, live long, so as to be able tc guide his investments and give his various schemes time to mature. Many a steady-going business man dies more or less wealthy ; from the simple fact that his life has been prolonged. "Compound iuterest has enriched his store by the lapse S. of time." We must hope that society is ignorant of the result of , mental strain, rather than it deliberately ignores its consequence. Yet these consequences stand out in vivid colours, and should be recognises, by every-one. We cannot escape from the fact that we have a steady in- ‘-r crease of nervous diseases. In 1845, there was but one lunatic in 800; in 1890. one in 341. Then suicide,which is a result of nervous exhaustion, has shown a marked = increase. When will we recognise the fact that the -; greater number of these me'ancholy cases spring from mental strain in the struggle for very existence, or from insa-dinate haste to become wealthy or famous, till at length the exhausted brain gives way to an uncontrollable craving for rest. What are the signs of mental over-work P They are . the warnings that nature cannot hold out much longer— s exhaustion, irritation, sleeplessness, numbness of the fingers, hand, or foot, dimished power of attention, difis- in articulation,tvsisting of one corner of the mouth, pain and heat of the head, and all the well-known sighs . of indigestion. Many of these symptcms may be at ,s first ephemeral—come and go—but if the cause be not • removed, the patient may be overtaken by complete s paralysis, epilepsy, softening of the brain, or apoplexy- , With the feeling of exhaustion, irritability, or sleepless- • : ness comes the desire to fly to alcoholic stimulants—the morning nip to recruit the strength during the day, and the glass or two of whisky at night to procure sleep. This is like the needy individual who borrows money lat a high rate of interest. For a time relief is ~ I obtained, but when capital and interest are due. the condition of matters is agoravated. Stimulants can not be converted into healthy mental energy, but food' can ; therefore, careful attention should be given to ensure a regular supply of light, yet nutritious aliment, ' and not to allow this to be replaced by the ever-athand beer,wine, or whiskey. But there is one remedy of the first importance : that is, rest—not more rest and less work,but complete rest. Probably,the consequence of rnental overwork are aggravated by efforts made late --, at night and 'extending into the early morning. It is a . practical idea to sketch the morning as typical of youth, the noon as manli .od,and the evening as old age. and manhood are the ages for work,old age for rest. Let us remember that exercise is the antidote to e%cessive mental effort. Nature seems to have indicated S this clearly in the modern rush to ambition just at a time when mental activity was perhaps never more pro- s: nounced, and exercise is perhaps the simplest and most effectual promoter of the much to be desired sleep. • We trust our remarks may not ne misunderstood, as the faintest encouragement to mental indolence ; for to be idle is to rust, and duty demands that every mai! , should do his best ; but to endeavour ts work beyosla our powers is neither just to the individual, nor to. society. Moderate, steady, and methodical work will achieve a victory, and bring for us permanent resul: ts • Nay, hard work undertaken as a labour of love will bring its own sweet reward, which will stand out in sharp contrast to the consequences of whipping the brain for the purpose of forcing it to perform work beyond it' 'powers.