WORK AND PLAY
Although most people would assume that epileptics are unable to follow a
trade, there is hardly an occupation from medicine to mining, from
agriculture to acting, that does not include epileptics among its votaries.
Outdoor occupations involving but little mental work or responsibility are
best, but unfortunately just those which promise excitement and change are
those which appeal to the neuropath.
A light, clean, manual trade should be chosen, and those that mean work in
stuffy factories, amid whirring wheels and harmful fumes, using dangerous
tools, or climbing ladders, must be avoided.
For the fairly robust, gardening or farming are good occupations, such
workers getting pure air, continuous exercise, and little brain-work.
Wood-working trades are good, if dangerous tools like circular saws are
left to others.
For the frail neuropath with a fair education, drawing, modelling,
book-keeping, and similar semi-sedentary work may do. Other patients might
be suited as shoemakers, stonemasons, painters, plumbers or domestic
servants, so long as they always work on the ground.
Some work is essential; better an unsuitable occupation than none at all,
for the downward tendency of the complaint is sufficiently marked without
the victim becoming an idler. Work gives stability.
Epilepsy limits patients to a humble sphere, and though this is hard to a
man of talent, it is but one of many hard lessons, the hardest being to
realize clearly his own limitations.
If seizures be frequent, the ignorant often refuse to work with a victim,
who can only procure odd jobs, in which case he should strive to find
home-work, at which he can work slowly and go to bed when he feels ill. A
card in the window, a few handbills distributed in the district, judicious
canvassing, and perhaps the patronage of the local doctor and clergy may
procure enough work to pay expenses and leave a little over, for the
essential thing is to occupy the mind and exercise the body, not to make
money.
Very few trades can be plied at home and many swindlers obtain money under
the pretence of finding such employment, charging an excessive price for an
"outfit", and then refusing to buy the output, usually on the pretext that
it is inferior. Envelope-addressing, postcard-painting and machine-knitting
have all been abused to this end.
An auto-knitter seems to offer possibilities, but victims must investigate
offers carefully.
Photography is easy. A cheap outfit will make excellent postcards, modern
methods having got rid of the dark room and much of the mess, and
postcard-size prints can be pasted on various attractive mounts.
If the work is done slowly, and in a good light, and the patient has an
aptitude for it, ticket-writing is pleasant. Among small shopkeepers there
is a constant demand for good, plainly printed tickets at a reasonable
price.
On an allotment near home vegetables and poultry might be raised, an
important contribution to the household, and one which removes the stigma
of being a non-earner.
The mental discipline furnished by this home-work is invaluable,
Neuropaths, especially if untrained, are unable to concentrate their
attention on any matter for long, and do their work hastily to get it
finished. When they find that to sell the work it must be done slowly and
perfectly they have made a great advance towards training their minds to
concentrate. Their weak inhibitory power is thus strengthened with happy
results all round.
When the work and the weather permit, work should be done outdoors, and
when done indoors windows should be opened, and, if possible, an empty or
sparsely-furnished bedroom chosen for the work.
Recreations. These offer a freer choice, but those causing fatigue or
excitement must be avoided, for patients who have no energy to waste need
only fresh air and quiet exercise.
Manual are better than mental relaxations. Dancing is unsuitable, swimming
dangerous, athletics too tiring and exciting. Bowls, croquet, golf,
walking, quoits, billiards, parlour games and quiet gymnastics without
apparatus are good, if played in moderation and much more gently than
normal people play them. Play is recreation only so long as a pastime is
not turned into a business. When a player is annoyed at losing, though he
loses naught save his own temper, any game has ceased to be recreative.
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