THE LIFE OF A MAN.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1910, 16 February 1875, Page 3

THE LIFE OF A MAN.

(PALL MILL GAZETTE.)

The formation of the constitution in early life—say from the age of 5 to 15— devolves on the nurse, the mother, and the training in the school-room. In the nursery at any rate, over-feeding is a cardinal Tice; but the over-fed children who eat fresh meat three times a day became so gross and nnwieldly as to be a burden to all concerned ; while tight stajjfe, tight boots, and High heeJs develope evew evil Under the sun, from bunions oniftds. At this point two years of gymnastics, or a couple of years spent on board one of our training ships, does wonders for our boys, who get the use of their arms and legs to an amazing degree. The' athletic l work performed by our schoolboys apd TTnivcrsity men is perhaps at its best in these days, though most happy is" the roan who is never overstrained, because he js perpetually in condition. From 15 to 25 a man has to prepare'for that legitimate enjoyment of life which should by right be his. He has in all probability, chosen his profession, memory is at its best, ambition at its highest, and his temptation to burn the candle at both ends—to be a boon companion, a man whose good tales are remembered, and whose witty sayings are everywhere quoted—is almost irresistible; facility does not come with age, and the best of stories grow stale. Of the number of prematurely exhausted intellects and shortened lives broken down in this waythere is no need to tell. From 25 to 30 is the true time for all the enjoyment of a man's best power*, when physical vigor is tfc its highest, and human passion is at its full strength. Preserve, if possible^ the absolute necessity for exercise, and have your place of business two or three miles away, over which let nothing tempt you. to an omnibus or carriage save rain. The day on. which a medical man gives up riding to see his country patients, or the use. of his own le£B to see His patients in town, and takes to a close brougham, fixes tlae date when sedentary diseases are set .Tjpj-Lindigestion, liver, kidney, disease, and 90 on; while if, to utilise his leisure, he reads as he drives, his eyesight becomes seriously affected. From 35 to 45 a man should arrange with his food and square hypochondria. The habitual character of food, no less than its quantity and quality, begins to tell whether it charges the system with fat, muscle, sinew, fibre, or watery particles. As to the evening glass of Spirits, it is not the quantity or th« quality, but the daily occurrence of the dose whic^ deteriorates. A weekly excess of does less harm than the moderate evening glass. Good generous red wine, -toasted bread, and brown meat comprise the best nourishment a man can take at this period. From 45 to 55 the recuperative powers should be encouraged and developed. Rheumatism, coughs, and inflammatory diseases arising from exposure to wet or cold, a man of 45 will have to contend with, but his blood will be in a good condition for the struggle. Moderate exposure to hardship of this kind, like moderate irregularity of meal times, never harmed man yet. During this decade a man clearly has in his hands the power of deciding of what: class of maladies he will die. Indeed, he may almost specify the precise disease. If he prefers to perish inch by inch of nervous disease, paialysis, ■oftening of the brain, he cannot do better than take a house about 20 miles from his office, near to a railway station, where the service of trains is limited. His anxiety to catch the morning train will cause his breakfast to be swallowed in a hurry and to lie undigested, while the steady jar and vibration of the train on th.3 spine and nerves, endured daily and without intermission, will not fail to produce tb« results deferred to, besides setting up a most unhappy and wearying irritability of temper. Better a thousand times to buy a pony every two^ years and batter its legs to pieces over the roads every 20 months by galloping 10 miles in and out, than adopt such a suicidal mode of transit. The { periodical attention of a good dentist is about as necessary as anything can be for health ; the slight est failure of eyesight should be attended to, and proper spectacles adopted. Reading by gaslight or without a. properly shaded lamn is simply madness. A man may use his eyes incessantly all his life into the small hours of the night and preserve a strong useful vision, by proper care. If a man through his life made a point of taking two clear months' holiday every year, he has so to speak, insured his life and health indefinitely, and will assuredly begin to realise 3J© fact. It is now that generous food and nourishment are imperatively required to keep up vitality. Dr Beard put it thus :—The goldea decade is from 30 to 40; the silver decade, 40 to 50; the brazen, 20 to 30; the iron, 50 to 60; and from 60 to 70 we learn whether the iron .is forged or only cast. According to the doctor's estimate, we are at our best from 38 to 46, when enthusiasm, judgment, and experience are balanced. After that date enthusiasm declines, judgement grows timid, and though expedience enlarges, there comes a time when it ceases to have any educating powers.