PUBLISHED BY THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

 OF THE COLLEGE OF PHARMACY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK. 



Vol. I. 



New York, flarch, 1894. 



No. 2. 



NERVOUS EXHAUSTION. 



Dr. CYRUS EDSON, 

 President of the Board of Pharmacy of the City aud County of New York. 



LIB 

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TT is apparent to any man who will take 

 the trouble to think, that no matter 

 how great the learning, knowledge, or 

 ability, or even the genius of an indi- 

 vidual mav be, these rest on the animal ; 

 that is to say, they rest upon the animal 

 functions of his system, and unless this 

 system be in order, unless the functions 

 are in a healthy condition, his learning, 

 his knowledge, his ability and his genius 

 are as nothing. If a little splinter of 

 bone not larger than the head of a pin 

 press upon the brain, the wisest states- 

 man, the greatest judge, the most learned 

 scientist may be less than a little child. 

 Men may be civilized, thej' may be edu- 

 cated, they may be governed by the high- 

 est ideals, yet under all, carrying all — 

 j list as the foundation carries the super- 

 structure of the palace above it — lies the 

 animal,, the creature with physical wants 

 and governed by physical laws. 



This condition that I have chosen for 

 the title of my paper, was recognized 

 some years ago by Dr. George M. Beard, 



who gave it a name, "Neurasthenia." 

 It is not a disease, but only a condition 

 into which a person may fall ; a condition 

 which is nothing more than a group 

 of s^'mptoms which may be due to a 

 dozen different pathological lesions. It is 

 mainly caused by peripheral irritation of 

 the nerves of some vital organs. We may 

 find it as the result of uterine disease ; we 

 may find it as the result of spinal disease ; 

 we may find it as the result of intestinal 

 disease ; but by far the most common of 

 all such peripheral irritation is peripheral 

 irritation of the nerves of the stomach, 

 and it is this phase of the subject that I 

 propose to treat- 

 Nervous exhaustion is peculiarly an 

 American disease. The free competition 

 in this country, and the social environ- 

 ment that makes it possible, have be- 

 tween them driven the pace of life here 

 up to a fearful speed. The American 

 works harder than does any other man 

 or woman on earth. His business is al- 

 ways with him ; he has no rest, no ces- 



