Nerve Reactions and Sunday.
Dr. Martin and his associates in the laboratory of physiology at the Harvard Medical School have made a study of work and weariness. They have measured the nerve reactions of the first-year medical students; that is, the time it takes for their nerves to respond to certain stimuli. If they respond promptly, the nerve reaction is high; if slowly, it is low; and the time interval is observed with minute accuracy.
These students have a regular routine of school-work for six days every week, and then a Sunday rest-day, which they spend in various ways; but not in school-work, at least, not in the usual way. Sunday, even in the case of those that study on Sunday, introduces a distinct break in the week.
Now it has been found that the nerve reaction is uniformly high on Monday, falls off on Tuesday, still more on Wednesday, and continues to decrease during the rest of the week till on Sunday it is at its lowest. But on Monday, after the Sunday rest or change, it uniformly leaps up again to its high character of the preceding Monday. In other words, Sunday has restored the "nervous tone" of the student.
To a Christian God's command to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy needs no re-enforcement from Harvard Medical School or any other institution of learning, and yet it is well to have this scientific confirmation of the value of the Sabbath for the sake of those that do not admit the authority of divine revelation. Many that will not listen to God will listen to Dr. Martin.