210 



ELEMENTARY BIOLOGY 



the people who made these tests did not use the middle finger in their 

 work, this finger showed different degrees of fatigue in accordance with 

 either the physical or the mental work done before the test was made. 



We have learned from these and similar experiments that ex- 

 hausting physical work tires the brain and the sense organs ; and 

 we have learned that severe mental work tires the whole body. 



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b 



FIG. 80. The pace and fatigue 



These two ergograph records were made by the same student on the same day. a was 

 made by pulling as rapidly as possible, and shows rapid accumulation of fatigue ; b was 

 made by a slow, steady pull every two seconds, and although the time was twice as 

 long as in a, and the work performed about four times as much, there is no appreciable 

 evidence of fatigue 



It is not to be concluded, however, that hard work is to be 

 avoided. On the contrary, hard work is useful physiologically, 

 as well as morally and economically. But we must use this 

 knowledge to help organize our work in a more effective way. 



