We must not mistake the stolid for the hypokinetic. There was a
classmate of mine in the medical school, a large, quiet fellow,
D. M., who got by everything, as the boys said, by the skin of
his teeth. He worked without enthusiasm or zeal, studied
infrequently and managed to pass along to his second year, at
about the bottom of the class. In that year we took up
bacteriology, the "bug-bear" as one punster put it, of the
school. Just what it was about the subject that aroused D. M. I
never knew, but a remarkable transformation took place. The man
changed over, studied hard, read outside literature and actually
asked for the privilege of working in the laboratory Sundays and
holidays so that he might learn more. When this was known to the
rest of the class, there were bets placed that he would not
"last," but quite to the surprise of everybody D. M. gained in
momentum as he went along. As a matter of fact, his interest on
the subject grew, and he is now a bacteriologist of good
standing. In fact, his lack of interest in other matters has
helped him, since he has no distracting tastes or pleasures.
Thus there are persons of specialized interest and energy, and it
may well be that there is for most of the hypokinetic a line of
work that would act to energize them. The problem, therefore, in
each case is to find the latent ability and interest and to
regard no case as really hopeless. I say this despite the fact
that I believe some cases are hopeless. The pessimistic attitude
on the part of parent or teacher kills effort; the optimistic
attitude fosters energetic effort.
6. The irritable hypokinetic. Irritability[1] of a pathological
type as a phase of lowered energy is well known to every
physiologist and in the practical everyday world is seen in the
tired and sick. There are people who from the very start of life
show lowered endurance, who respond to certain stimuli in an
excessive manner and are easily exhausted. This type the
neurologist calls the congenital neurasthenic, and it may be we
are dealing here with some defect in the elimination of fatigue
products. This, however, is only a guess, and the disease factor,
if there is any, is entirely unknown. I do not pretend that the
person I am to describe is entirely representative of this group.
Indeed, no dozen cases would show all the symptoms and
peculiarities of the irritable hypokinetic group.
[1] One must take care not to mistake the irritability which is
the characteristic of all living tissue for the irritability here
considered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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