DISEASES OF THE OX AND SHEEP. 581 



of view it is a very wrong thing indeed to overtax the mental 

 powers. Far more dangerous is it to do this than to perform an 

 unduly hard day's physical work. It is high time that all who 

 have the power to do so should speak out, and even shout from 

 the housetops, against the terrific evils, the monstrous inqui- 

 sitions; the shatterings of the constitutions of boys and girls, 

 which have resulted, and do result, from one of the most abomi- 

 nable and detestable of all modern excrescences. Need we say 

 we allude to the examination craze. 



How long will it be before parents begin to find out that the 

 best work in the world, and even good work, has very, very 

 seldom been evoked in response to the artificial and irritating 

 stimulus supplied by examinations ? In the case of the learned 

 professions they may be necessary evils, but, when carried to the 

 pitch now in vogue, they are responsible for the most disastrous 

 ruin of many careers which might otherwise have been bright, 

 and happy, and useful. 



Cases of overwork are generally most clearly shown by damages 

 to the nervous system and to the kidneys. Undue mental toil, 

 especially if undergone immediately or soon after meals, Tvill 

 bring on indigestion, and incapacity for a continuance of work. 

 If the urine is examined, it will often in these cases be found to 

 be neutral and to contain suspended phosphates. There are, of 

 course, other disorders of the kidneys in mankind, which from 

 the frequency of their occurrence are only too well known. Of 

 these we may here just mention that sometimes albumen and 

 sometimes sugar escapes through the kidneys. The former of 

 these diseases is known as albuminuria, which is synonymous, at 

 least in very many cases, with Bright's disease, and the latter as 

 glycosuria or diabetes mellitus. In fact, so usual is it that ill- 

 health is associated with some disturbance in regard to the 

 excretion of urine, that one of the first things which a careful 

 physician will usually do will be to test the condition of this fluid. 

 A healthy state of the kidneys, and the correct working of this 

 excretory apparatus, are among the first essentials of healthy life, 

 and the urinary mechanism is, moreover, one of those vital 

 systems which on examination are often found to be out of gear 

 both in man and animals. 



