THE HYGIENE OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 167 



toms of seeming stimulation. It is a state of hyper- 

 sensitiveness and unrest. The victim is unable to relax 

 and aggravates his abnormal condition because of the 

 fact. An advanced case of nervous fatigue may deserve 

 the name of neurasthenia. 



The neurasthenic is too easily affected by stimuli. 

 He feels .every discomfort more keenly than he should. 

 He is distressed by the weather, his clothes, his chair, 

 and his bed. Noises irritate him; so does bright light, 

 and so do certain odors. His nervous system is thus shot 

 through with many more impulses than should properly 

 penetrate it and the responses are in proportion. There 

 are the motor signs which we think of as manifestations 

 of nervousness: the continual shifting of position, 

 useless movements of hands and feet, tricks like twirling 

 the moustache or toying with the eyeglasses. 



When we have tangible evidence that the nervous 

 system is showering impulses upon the skeletal muscles 

 it is not hard to believe that it is acting upon other 

 effectors in a similar way. But the fact is to be borne 

 in mind that many of the currents which run out to the 

 viscera and the blood-vessels are inhibitory. So, 

 while a nervously tired person is pretty sure to present a 

 picture of restlessness, some of his organs may be 

 hindered rather than spurred on in their working. 

 This is particularly the case with the alimentary canal. 



The details of the nervous regulation of the digestive 

 tract can best be taken up at a later time. But from 

 what has been said it will be plain that excessive activity 

 at the centers will be likely to interfere seriously with the 

 execution of its functions. Nervous indigestion is to 

 be expected. This springs in part from the suppression 

 of the secretion of the gastric juice and in part from the 

 retarding of the motor mechanisms of the stomach and 

 intestine. The progress of food is delayed and so 

 is its digestion. As a result there is constipation, ab- 

 normal decomposition of the intestinal contents, and 

 gas formation. More or less poisonous products of 



