Science. On Brain-Work and Hand -Work.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2075, 24 October 1885, Page 6 (Supplement)

Science. On Brain-Work and Hand -Work.

BY X M. N, It may seem presumptuous in rap to tf-Ve np a subject whioh has been ably dent with some years back in tho "Journal of Science," by oooaiion of Dr. Beard > rrcatisaon ;lie " Longevity of Brain-Workers." Still it ftppc.ua to me that tho lust word on this topic hrt<i not yet been said. Certain points, both cf dis tinotion and of resemblance' seem to have been overlooked aa well by ravifswor ft 3 by author, and certain of tho conclusions drawn are at least open to question. I may perhapa be allowed to put the opening question, What ia work ? The common reply is, " An\f pursuit by which a man earns or attempts to earn a livelihood, and to accumulate wealth." This definition ia tho more to be regretted because it cherishes e{ rather begets, the vulgar error that all persons who do not aim at the accumulation of wealth are "idlers.' 1 In point; of faot such men may be doing far greater services to the world than the moet diligent and Bucceasful votary of a trade or a profession. Darwin, having a competency, was therewith content. To him, and to others of kindred niinda, tho opportunity of devoting his whole life to the poarch after scientific truth waa a boon imraeararably higher than any conceivable amount of wealth. Shall we call him an idler? Nor ia Science the only field which opens splendid prospects to men of mdependont nuam. Art, literature, philanthrope have all their departments, nnremunerative in a commercial point of view, or at least not directly remunerative, and for all these cultivators are wanted. Therefore, revising the advice given by routine moralists, I would say to wealthy young nien of ability, "Do not take up any irade, business, or profession, but do some of the world's unpaid work. L'-avo monpy-maliir^ to those who have no other option, and be searchers for truth and beauty." Every one who follows this advice will contribute something to show tho world that the raco for wealth is not the only pursuit worthy of a rational being. I should define work as the' conscious syitematic application of mind or body to any definite purpose. I said "of mind or body.' Perhaps the expression may sound old-fashioned; so to avoid grating on the nervea of a monistic world I will Bay "of brain or rauicle." Bnt can we draw a sharp, well defined boundary line between brain work and rnuscla-woik? Rocent investigations into {he function* of tli9 brain show that it has the task of dirretJDg and co-ordinating muscular effort. The athelete, or 8(17 the musical performer, has not merely to strengthen his mujclp* and ao q-iirfi flexibility of aim. h?nd, and finder; hi* =)xcrciHos serve at the fame time to develops and perfect those regions of ths brain by which the muscles in question arc actuated and co ordinatee)! Prof. Dv Bois Raymond, in his ftdra!>able treatise on "Exercise" (rcvi*wed soma time ago in tho " Journal of Sjlgmco "), contends that " bodily ex»roi?es are not merely muxekgymnastic, but also nerve gyruna«de< ( " and that practioa in the movements ot the limbs is " essentially exercise of the central ncrrrasystem. Hence mu»cle-work which ie aot at tho sumo time brain-work is a chimera whioh has no existence. And it will now be asked, Ii there any b^ain-work without mucele-work ? Undoubtedly ; we may scg phenomena, we may reason upon them, and oome to a conclusion concerning their nature without any mustutar action at all Bat if we even wish to writo down our remits, or to tell them to a friend, porno rnmentar ae'ion, small though it be, ia needed. Or v/e wiih to go further: not content with rnorply observing- the phenomena which ehancs brings before our eye I*,1 *, wo po foT'h in search of facts. Hero mincnlar work is blended with brain word. A §trp further : We v\tk to put definite questions to Niture, to perform physical, chemical, or physiological rtpni. meDtfl. In all thete c:\iea tho hand has to be the inseparable companion of the brain. The efficiency of the ono will not oomptn^ato for ineffiuenoy in the other. Notv, ti.e woik of the experimentalist rarely r-qmrea great strength, but it invariably stands in nefcd cf delicacy, nicety of touch and rnovempnt, bodily or, if you will, muscular attributes to be reached only by training. It is the same in the fine arts. The painter needs not merely an exquisite perfection of form and oolor, an instinctive — as it pppuara to outsiders — appreciation of the:; relations and harmonies ; unices he posseiscß in addition to all this the requisite nicsty of touoh, he must fail to 3nibody in viable form the conceptions present in his brain. Precisely the same ib it with the musician. The orator and the actor must also, in addition to their mera mental gifts, have vocal organs thoroughly developed and disciplined. Tnni we beg that in tho highest walks of science and art, brain-woik and muscle-work exist, I might say, in a state of interpenetratioo. Again, at a woik-tftbleiii Y Street, sit« a mioro-icopißt, carefully' i tudying the peculiarities of a nevrly detected ni»crobion, or diascctii" the larva of the P&yllcjT'ra. What is he? Brain worker, or muscle- worker? You pronounce him a bruin-worker ; bis brain, in your opinion, doing tho la^er — the essential — part of hia ta^k. So be it. I convey you to X Street, where at another work-tab'.e sits a raicroscopf-maker. He is accurately adjusting an objective of high power. What ia he? Like tho user of the microscope just mentioned, he requires the utmost delicacy of touch, the highest manipulative skill. Lke the mioroscopnt, al3o, lna brain perform! ti>e essential part of tho ta°k. Bat you will piobably call him a hand-worker or muscloworker, because he is a mechanic I Surtly, then, we must admit that there is no hard and fast boundary between tho brainworker and tho muscle- worker. There i-j no muscle-woik without brain-work ; there is tittle brain work of a high order without ttfascle-work. There are, however, gradations. There are kinds of mu'clc-work no simple, bo monotonous, or uniform in their character, that they are, with vny hHle practice, performed automatically, wit 1 ! no comcioui effort of the brain, fciuch, for instance, ii thc> work of tho agricultural laborer in digging, moving, thrashing, etc., or of the hodman carrying bricks and mortar up a l.iddpr. All eueh work, it is generally found, can bo pprformod by means of machinery. Perhaps this may enjtble na to fiud a definition, or rather a. limit, for muiolc-work. I must now ftsk what classpa of society can rank as brain-workero. Dt. Beard fceema to include hero clergymen, lawyera, physie'~.ns merchants, boicntißta, men of letters. He docs not make any mention of artists, teacher* of different branches of knowledge, manufacturers, etc. Now, if the merchant, thu mim who diatributea, fetches) and carries, is to r<»nk as a braiu-workcr, surely must tho producer, who much more frequrntly orifiiuuea out of his own mind eomethiurr new to tho world. We may also aak, does the term merchant include the retail dealer, the clerk, and the commercial assistant .' If ho, wo find the brainworking olass re-cnforc?d by a number of persons who certainly have little need for muicular exertion, bat little also for bramwork, and many of whose taaks and duties might be performed by machinery. Again, where are we to place the speculator, the gambler, and the forger? Muaclu-workurs thry are only to a very small extent, though tlie forger requires a wonderful amount of manipulative skill. He must, however, be regarded aft a doomed epeciea, since the Ntsbit pat< nt eafety-check oarries in it the gerrn a . of his destruction. It becomes very difficult to say with accuracy who aro to bo elapsed as brain-workera, and who as muscle-workers, and, still mmo, who aro to be referred to Dr. Bjard'a third clas3, " those who follow occupations that call both muscle and brain into exercHfl." Thin class, as I havo endoavouxed to nhuw, inoludes almost every one who v>i>rks al ;.U. Until we aro nblo to iurmth a coj.ccfc cJaaoifiotion of mankind as brain- workers and mus olc-workera, it will bo very diiiicull to enunoi-

ate any true and valuable proposition concern" ing either group. T^fftlty \oars upo, Di*. B^n.r.l kid d'iwn arooTip others tha following hifc,cf piop j^it'ons : T':at the brain v.oiKin^ cla^f— o^i.^m 0 !), lawyers, physicians, meichant", ejiontith, and men oMeit^rj -Kvj v>*ry much lonpcr than the muaele workin < c'as-es, Taat tho Rrefttett and hardecc braia-woiktrs of histc-iy have lived longer on the average than bran workers of ordinary a 1 ility fVnd industry. Tint clergymen are longer lived than any other grant clasa of brain Torkeu. The Orst of tho"o r-rnpositions admits of statistical proof or disproof. The life lengths of the clashes of men above mentioned cm bo Metrrtained, and their Average dnration compared with tho mean lonpth«of hfa prevalent in their times and cou'rtries. Bat it is the superior longevity of tho c classes due to the faot that they are brain workers, or mint it not be traced to a complication of causes? If brain-work ie par $c eolutary and conducive to long life— which I do not deny — and if, a 9 we raaj gather from Dr. Beird'a second propposition hrie Riven, its beneficial influence is proportionate to ita intensity, we should And the man whose brain- work i« devoted to origination stand highest in (.he list. As such I should undoubtedly rank discoverers in science inventors in the industrial arts, poets, muaical composers, and painters (not of portraits). Bat the third proposition entirely dashes with this conclusion. Dr. Bpard tells m that o£ all brain- workers, clergymen are the most longlived. Yet they can bcarcoly bo calkd the hardest brim-workers, «since what is demanded trom them is not origination, creation, but exprc-stion. If a ulergynan initiated new docttinaa, he ia in dan:ir of becoming a h<H-a-tic. lie is expressly foib'.ddan to do what is expressly demanded from the man of science or the author. Indeed, till a comparatively recent date, the life of an English country clergyman ha^ always been considered aB one of the easiest of all careers, making no heavy demands either npon brain or muscle. Indeed, Dr. Beard, when he undertakes a fornial explanation of the great longevity of the clergy, makes some very important concottons. Ha remarks that " their oalling admits of a wide variety of toil." — ''In their manifold diviea their whole nature ia exercised." — " Public speaking, when not carried to the extreme of exhaustion, is the best form of gymnastics that is knowu." Dr. Beard here admits what I also maintain, that the most healthful work ii th.it which daly nnd harmoniously cilia into play all the various faculties of a m&n. BrAin work is in lts'lf good and wholesome— -undoubtedly batter than pursuits which extrciaa the muiclea alone, lsftvins certain regions of the nervous centres inactive. But nis still inferior to work which fcx^reideg tho entire system. Whatever calling effects this most thoroughly and cqially will be tba ideil vocjhon. But it maybe said that tho duties of a physician call a wide circla of powers into play. Why, then, ii he lesi long lived than the clergyman ? Ia hii case thero is wanting any physical extrcits which may take tha plao« of public speiUng, and he in more exposed to daath from contact with malignant diseaie. As an instance of the ctpacial b«cefit to bo derived from an exereiie of th« whole syitem, I may glance at tho lessons to b* gathered from the oxparienee of exploring expeditions m nnhtalty countries. The first to succumb are porters, gaidei, muleteers, private soldiers sn& «ailorp, etc. N«xt or. mo military and naval cfSc^s, while the doctor, tbtt botanist, th« geologist, etc., hold out to the last, their sole advantage being a mere thorough exercise of the whole system, mnicle, and brain ali'te. Dr. Bo3rd give* another reason for the longevity of the olergy — their comparative freedom from anxiety. This ii tha critical point to decide whether brain w»rk shall be healthful or harmful. L«t » man work, knowing fiat hi« i:\olihood is stfeura— that it is indifferent vrhpther ha completes any given task this month or this time six months — and no amount of stndy will harm him. Bat tell him that ho must complete torn* t&sk by a (,'iveu data under penalty of dismissal, or that hts pfbspeoti in hie depend on hit passing an examination better than a eeoro of cornpeti-ror-i, and the probability is tint his stadies trill bring on softening of the brain, heart di9e*»c!, or perhaps Brlyht's disease. Dr. Beard formally admits that "worry is the one threat ahortener of life under civilisation, and, of all forms of worry, financial is the moat freqnent Bnd the most distressing." Hence the differences between his views and mine are very rmieh smoothed over, and we ranut take fn a " Pickwickian senso " his declaration elsewhere that "brain-work is the highest of Ml antidotes to worry." He brings forward yet another reason for the longevity of clergymen—" their superior temperance and morality." That euoh superiority, if it exists, will have an influence in favor of health and long life, I readily admit. Bat it is very doubtful whether they are in this rpspeot superior to other br*in-workera. In the carper of tha coiontist mutinou-i passions are simply crowded out. For him the *tnio;pleß with temptation, of whioh the ethici3ta tell UB, ha\e simply no existence. Hoff it may be among those brain-workers who move in a more emotional npher o , I cannot prewirac to say. Dr. B*ard's contention that the brainworkar i«, as a clr»s, lnppier than the musoleworkpr is VPry questionable He asks : " Wnt re rs the hod earner that finds joy in goina up ftnd down a ladder, and, from the foundation of the woild until now, how many have bfen known to persevere in ditch-digging or aower laying, or in nny mechanical or manual eillm* whatpo-vor, after the nttainmiMit of independence ? " Suoh persona, I think, mi(/hc bo found. Many of thise manutl occupations would, as Ivt as I can judjzn, seem happier than a life spent at the merchant's desk or at tha exchange. If tho man of bnsinesa "continues to work in his speeml calling long after the necessity has G°a<;cd," it is because he has been trained to believe that accumulation of wealth is the whole dafcy of man. ' nearly til the money of the world," cays Dr. Buard, "ia in tho hands of brftin-werkern." Thii may be true ; yet, at the same time many of the hardest and most capihla biain workers rank araonc; tho very poorest. Young men arenow warned hy their friends to avoid the highest elftsd of brain-work, and even to ehup the learned professions, " because they do not pay." I meet with book? containing the records of oripinftl research, yet for which the author has reofivnl le j 8 than tho wages of a ntonebre'ikfsi- far the time omp'oyed. I maqt with inversions which ruin tho inventor and onrich hid followers. Verily, tho manual laborer lmi tcant cause to onvy the brainworker. — Jcurnul of Si tence.