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39
causes of death in our community, where the system
is taxed for the purpose of affording resistance to
the effects of an unusual depression of temperature.
Overwork.—In prosperous and wealthy communities
like that of the Parish of St. James's, and
which may be regarded as the most wealthy and
prosperous community in the world, there is the
constant temptation to all classes of making money
in proportion to the hours they can work. If we
turn to the Census of occupations in St. James's, it
will be seen that to the gains of the great mass of
the population there are no limits but the necessity
of sleep. If a tailor can work twenty hours whilst his
neighbour can work only ten, there is the certainty
of obtaining double gains, so with almost every
other occupation that characterises the Parish.
Here there is an enormous stimulus to work. A
temptation to deprive the body of these hours of
rest which are necessary for recruiting bodily
strength. The want of sleep is a constant source
of disease. It produces that exhaustion of the
nervous system which speedily reacts upon the
muscular system, and produces a variety of diseases.
As the result of this ruinous practice no system
suffers sooner than the respiratory system, and from
an intimate knowledge of the habits of the working
classes of our Parish I have no hesitation in
saying that this system of over-work is a most
fruitful cause of habitual disease, and especially
exposes the system to the action of unusual