Ki'J Till: NERVOUS S1STI.M AND ITS < '< )\SKK\ ATI* >\ 



Those \vlio demur against the proscription of religion may 

 urge that the assigned English literal u re or history is intrin- 

 sically finer than any matter likely to lie substituted for it : 

 on "-rounds of hygiene, however, a change is to be desired. 

 Some experiments recently reported from the Harvard 

 Medical School support this claim in a very positive way. 1 



Daily trials were made upon a large number of students 

 to determine their "sensory threshold," meaning in this 

 case the least electric shock which they could feel. The 

 stimulation was through two fingers of the same hand. 

 When all the results were averaged, it was found that a 

 diminution of irritability was registered from day to day 

 as the week passed, until on Saturday the threshold reached 

 its highest level. That is to say, it took a stronger shock 

 to attract attention on that day than on any other. On 

 Monday the threshold was down again; this is the same 

 as saying that the irritability was restored to the highest 

 pitch. There must have been some cumulative fatigue 

 from one day to the next which was not offset by the night's 

 rest. 



The students in this group probably had very variable 

 programs for Sunday. But it could be said of all of them 

 that the occupation on that day afforded a contrast with 

 that which filled the rest of the week. Perhaps we may 

 find in facts like these the explanation of the uniform 

 seven-day cycle agreed upon by so many races and 

 creeds. Experience may have shown that a longer period 

 of routine leads to progressive impairment of efficiency, 

 while economic pressure has not permitted the interrup- 

 tions to become more frequent. Surpri-e has been ex- 

 pressed that the subjective judgment on Monday morning 

 is apt to be that the condition is one of unusual inertia 

 rather than of superior capacity. It i- very likely true 

 that the highest irritability does not correspond with 

 the best state of the nervous system for consecutive work. 

 The subject may be too easily distracted. Hence, it may 



1 Martin, \\ itliinnton, ainl Putnam, American Journal of I'hysiol- 

 ogy, I'.M 1, \.\\iv, '.17. 



