150 ALFRED T. SCHOFIELD, ESQ., M.D., M.E.C.S., ETC., ON 



found lie could still read and keep three balls going. Any 

 one who tries this feat will understand its difficulty. 



Artificial reflex habit resembles respiration, and still more 

 coughing, in that these occur naturally by reflex action, but 

 can be modified or stopped by the will. 



Habits, in spite of Weissmann, formed during life strongly 

 tend to become hereditary. This is clearly seen in the love 

 of strong drink. 



Whe77 to form habits. — The easiest and best time to form 

 habits is in the gi-owing structure in early childhood, notably 

 before fifteen years of age. The earlier the period that 

 habits are formed the more lasting are they, and reappear 

 at a late period of life when other habits acquired since 

 have passed away. Plasticity of brain is essential, that is, 

 tissues weak enough to yield to influences, and yet strong 

 enough to retain them. After the brain is fully developed, 

 that is, after thirty, or perhaps later, to acquire new habits 

 or to give up old becomes alike more difficult. In old age 

 we find, as we have said, that those habits that are acquired 

 last, are lost first. As a rule, personal habits are acquired 

 before twenty, professional habits between twenty and thirty. 



Fliysical habits. — Let us now consider a few leading habits, 

 physical, mental, and moral. 



1. Phj^sical habits that modify natural reflexes. Thus, one 

 may get accustomed by degrees to digest indigestible things, 

 or to tolerate an excess of alcohol, or to blush very readily, 

 or not at all, or to vomit at the sight of certain articles of 

 food, and so on. 



2. Or physical habits that are new products altogether; 

 that is, real artificial reflexes. These are innumerable ; they 

 extend through all our being, are insensibly being formed 

 Avhenever an act is repeated sufficienrly often, and are often 

 only detected when it is too late to alter them. 



They are amazing in their intricacy and variety as well 

 as in the extraordinary ease they give when once firmly 

 established in the performance of the most difficult and at 

 first impossible tasks. 



The old saying, " It's nothing when you are used to it," or 

 the couplet — 



" If at first you don't succeed, 

 Try, try, try again," 



simply mean, if a thing is too hard to do, establish a habit 

 and you will accomplish it. 



