Little Masterpieces of Science: Health and Healing
History
Little Masterpieces of Science: Health and Healing
Medicine -- History
The idea that excessive physical exercise is a sound means of promoting
health is erroneous. Man is not constructed to be a running or a leaping
animal like a deer or a cat, and to raise the physical above the mental
culture were to return to the shortness and misery of savage life.
Physical training, while it should be moderately encouraged, should be
refined and made secondary to mental training. Every rash and violent
feat of competitive prowess should be discountenanced.
VIII
The combination of mental and physical fatigue, as it is practised in
many pursuits at this time, are exceedingly dangerous. Long journeys
each day, to and from the sphere of profession or business, are hurtful.
The idea that mental labour may be advantageously supplemented by
violent muscular exercise, such as is implied in long and fatiguing
walks or laborious exercise on horseback, is an error. Moderate and
regular exercise, at the same time, favours mental work. The practical
point is to regulate the physical labour that it shall not induce
fatigue.
IX
One of the surest means for keeping the body and mind in perfect health
consists in learning to hold the passions in subservience to the
reasoning faculties. This rule applies to every passion. Man,
distinguished from all other animals by the peculiarity of his reason,
is placed above his passions to be the director of his will, can protect
himself from every mere animal degradation resulting from passionate
excitement. The education of the man should be directed, not to suppress
such passions as are ennobling, but to bring under governance, and
especially to subdue, those most destructive passions, anger, hate, and
fear.
X
To escape the evils arising from the use of alcohol there is only one
perfect course, namely, to abstain from alcohol altogether. No fear need
be entertained of any physical or mental harm from such abstinence.
Every good may be expected from it. True, a certain very qualified
temperance, a temperance that keeps the adult to a strict allowance of
one ounce and a half of alcohol in each twenty-four hours, may possibly
be compatible with a healthy life; but such indulgence is unnecessary
and encourages the dangerous desire to further indulgence. A man or
woman who abstains is healthy and safe. A man or woman who indulges at
all is unsafe. A man or woman who relies on alcohol for support is lost.
XI
Smoking tobacco, and the use of tobacco in every form, is a habit better
not acquired, and when acquired is better abandoned. The young should
especially avoid the habit. It gives a doubtful pleasure for a certain
penalty. Less destructive than alcohol, it induces various nervous
changes, some of which pass into organic modifications of function. So
long as the practice of smoking is continued the smoker is temporarily
out of health. When the odour of tobacco hangs long on the breath and
other secretions of the smoker, that smoker is in danger. Excessive
smoking has proved directly fatal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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