LtJSE, NATURE, '^PREVENTION or SEA-SICKNESS. HUDSON LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. i|ap. ©op^rigl^ !f o* W^ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. SEA-SICK:^rESS: ITS CAUSE, NATURE, AND PREVENTION WITHOUT medici:n:e or cha^^ge IN DIET. A SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM, BY WILLIAM H. HUDSON, Boston: S. E. CASSmO AND COMPAlSfY. 1883. ^.^^':' Copyright, BY MARY E. SUBSOIL. 1883. ELECTROTYPED. BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY, No. 4 Peakl Street. PEE FACE. In this little volume the author presents a method by which the ocean traveller may secure immunity from sea-sickness, without change in diet or aid of medicine. Athouo:h occasionino^ 2:reat sufferinofs, and sometimes even fatal in its effects, sea-sick- ness is not a disease, properly so called. It is due solely to the violations of natural laws, throuo^h io^norance of their true nature ; and its prevention is possible to all by the use of correct principles, simple in themselves and easy in their application. The information herein offered is the result of observations and experiments made upon the ocean, and carefully noted during a period of more than twenty-five years. If universally acted upon sea- sickness would at once cease to exist. CONTEiq^TS. PART PAGE Appeal to Physicians 7 I. Address to the Keader 9 II. Sea-Sickness, its Cause, Nature, and Prevention without Medicine . . 18 III. Proofs of Theory drawn from Obser- vation 47 TV. Relaxation of the Muscular System considered in its General Uses . . 61 Y. Hints to Beginners in Ocean Travel, 71 YI. Habit Illustrated 76 YII. A Word of Caution 84 YIII. Storm Lesson 100 IX. Notes 121 Life, 121; Mind, 122; Nerves, 123; Mus- cles, 124; Sleep, 126; Citation, 131. Index, Analytical 137 An Appeal to Physicians: The work here presented discloses for the first time the true cause and nature of sea- sickness. It is written so clearly and simply that all may understand and apply its teach- ings ; but great numbers of people prefer oral instruction to reading, and naturally will apply to you for advice. You have earned this confidence by your life-study of the heal- ing art. You can impart information accept- ably when the printed word would fail. To you I commend my little volume, believing that you will at once perceive its truth, and welcome it as a valuable helper in lifting from the suffering sea-traveller the crushing burden he has so lono- borne. o May 7, 1883. SEA-SICIOnESS, CAUSE, NATURE, AND PREVENTION. I. ADDRESS TO THE READER. In commencing this \York, I ask your per- mission to use the personal form of address, and a familiar style, tliat I may the better win your interest, dispel possible prejudice, and induce you to weigh with candor the statements I shall make. My topic, in common with all scientific sub- jects, forbids the felicity of expression, the poetic fervor, and finish of style required by those which are purely literary. Clearness, precision, and force are alone necessary : and these I have attempted to attain. If I have offended by repetition or undue fulness of statement, I plead in excuse the earnest desire 9 10 SEA-SICKNESS. to simplify my instructions, and so adapt them to the needs of the busiest, the most careless, and the least instructed of my readers. This book is the outgrowth of my own per- sonal experience, written after I had fully attained control over sea-sickness in my own person. It was then, and not before, that it occurred to me that the facts which were quarried out to serve me should also become the servants of others, who, like myself, are victims. Difficulties occur in producing the facts which form this work not usual in book-mak- ing. Previous writings upon this subject afford no light or guide upon it. It has ever been a " dark continent." To enter it was to come at once into a trackless jungle, filled with every obstructing medium which the name of jungle implies. Such is the ap- pearance of sea-sickness to the observer when groping among its effects in the human body. The nature of these effects are boisterous ; they becloud the observer's vision and 'm- ADDRESS TO THE READER. 11 pede his search ; they completely obscure the still and silent cause. Works treating upon the human body, which are worthy of respect, uniformly characterize sea-sickness as incurable ; and it is no wonder that this is so. Out of this state of recorded knowledge has come a habit firmly fixed in the public mind that no hope was to be expected. To change a habit of mind is no less difficult than to change a habit of body. It cannot be accomplished by force, as the mind is free. It became neces- sary for me to surround the subject with copious details of facts, the nature of which must be made plain to the understanding. Such were the grounds which claimed my attention as I commenced this book ; and to their considerations I have adhered in its composition. This will account for what at times, perhaps, may be deemed irrelevant matter, but which the reader may find, ulti- mately, none too fiiU when he becomes en- tangled in an ocean storm. 12 SEA-SICKXESS. The subject of sea-sickness has been of deep interest to me for many years. I loved the ocean for its (to me) concealed wonders. This love seemed to have been born with me in my inland home. It became in my early boyhood a passion. My mental eye fairly feasted upon its wonders. My little fingers were busy in tracing out its winding boun- daries upon my school-maps. My young mind was made quiet and happy, in the corner by the evening fire, by the story-books of the sea. Thus my mind filled the trackless spaces of the great ocean with all that was free and grand. At an earl}^ period of life I removed to the coast, and for the first time saw the wide Atlantic. Visions of intense enjoyment in making a closer acquaintance with its myste- rious charms rose before me, to be checked but too soon by a knowledge of that remorse- less power which exacts the tribute of sufier- ing from all who sail its waters. Yet my ardor was not extinguished — was, indeed, ADDRESS TO THE READER. 13 hardly moderated, — on the contrary, I re- solved to attain my end, even at the expense of physical discomforts, Tvhile I believed a prevention might be found if faithfully sought. After a time business required of me a sea- voyage. I welcomed the opportunity for investigating at leisure the cause of sea- sickness as the first step to its relief. The knowledge acquired by this experience was very limited, and that even was sadly marred by the sufferings inflicted on me. Still eager for knowledge on this point, I resorted to libraries, but books that were treasuries of learning on other subjects were silent on this. I conversed with physicians, but they were more profitably employed than in considering questions deemed unanswerable, I inquired of scientific men, but they were still more reticent. The world seemed to wear a dull and lowering look upon this subject, which was well-calculated to squelch my enthusiasm. It exhibited a unit of unbelief. This appear- 14 SEA-SICKNESS. ance somehow, did not have any effect in deterring me from inquiry. There was an honest, sturdy unbelief to be met everywhere, which was as firm as adamant, that sea-sick- ness could never find relief; and such is still the case. Indeed, as my mind runs back over the lines of thought in past ages, I find ever the same dull plane of apathy and indifference. Thus compelled, (as it were,) I continued to study without aid, and the results of these many years form the warp and woof of this volume. And now, dear reader, although you can hardly be otherwise than skeptical on this matter, yet if you will keep your mind un- biased and receptive, I will offer you con- vincing proof of the theory I am about to advance. I will show you that sea-sickness is not a necessary evil, but that it can be pre- vented by simply obeying the laws of nature. If you will study attentively and practice faithfully the system of muscular training of ADDRESS TO THE READER. 15 "which I shall explain the method and neces- sity, you can sail the ocean with as absolute immunity from the sickness it usually inflicts as you can travel by land. Strange as this may seem, and doubtful as it may now appear to you, this evil of six thousand years of recorded life may be utterly vanquished ; and that, too, by the simple use of only your own powers, which were vested in you by your Creator for that very pur- pose. In this age of enlightenment and augmented facility, ignorance upon this mat- ter seems to have the rank odor of crime about it. It has filched untold delights from the weary and worn landsman. Its occasioned losses to the world are untold and not to be estimated. The treasuries of art, the current culture, the vast inheritance from a common ancestry, whose homes and works remain in the keeping of a European kindred, are still viewed as sacred, and command an interest and a reverence from the far-oft' children in their western homes. The European is not 16 SEA-SiCKNESS. less interested in the fresh life and elemental achievements of their western lineage. Among these are thousands on thousands of men and women lavishly endowed to appreciate, to un- derstand, to criticise, to write, to correct, and thus to straighten the lines and expedite true progress. The orderly workings of these natural and beneficent methods are marred and hindered by sea-sickness. Numbers, not a few, hav- ing crossed the ocean and suffered from this cause, remain in exile, accepting voluntary banishment from home and kindred rather than risk the ordeal of a return voyage. The benefits of the ocean itself have been largely denied or neutralized to those most sorely in need of its healing powers. The ocean is, indeed, a health-giver. A foun- tain of healino' waters, whence comes vi^-or and renewed pleasurable existence to the broken and brain-sick man of the land, — a place of rest nowhere else to be found in equal purity and perfection. ADDRESS TO THE READER. 17 It comes to be my task, and is a pleasure, to point the way to the correction of errors, and the attainment of gifts which have been held in store for man for all time. I do this boldly and in fearless confidence. I shall direct your steps in no pathway which has not been trodden by myself, and found to be secure and practical. I ask your candid attention. SYSTEM. That very law which monlds a tear And bids it trickle from its source ; That law preserves the earth a sphere And guides the planets in their course,' n. SEA-SICKNESS : ITS CAUSE, NATURE, AND PREVENTION. All efforts for the prevention and control of sea-sickness Iiave liitherto been made through the medium of drugs. These are in themselves disturbing causes. Just in the proportion that they act at all, they lessen instead of increasing the chances for the patient's comfort. Sea-sickness results from disobedience to natural laws. Such being the case, it is necessary to ascertain precisely what those laws are, in their application to, and demand upon, the human body. CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 19 This involves a very brief recapitulation of some of the elementary facts of physi- ology. By way of general explanation, I would state that the construction of the nerves and the two orders of muscles are amply described in books which are acces- sible to all, and it is, therefore, needless for me to speak of them only so far as their use may serve to explain my subject. I shall generally discard the use of the Avord stimu- lus, and make use of the word life, instead, when treating of the motive power which acts upon man's body. The motions .of the human body are pro- duced by the action of the muscles. There are between five and six hundred separate muscles employed in the body for the per- formance of its duties. These are arrano:ed in two grand divisions, known as voluntary and involuntary. The latter is used by the vital organs, and has a character peculiar to itself, by which it is enabled to work under the mysterious power of life, with ceaseless 20 SEA-SICKNESS. activity, without fatigue, and substantially, without government from the mind. The voluntary system is ramified by nerves of sensation and motion, which traverse in pairs the whole system, leaving no minute part unprovided; thus furnishing a system for the supply of power, and also a system of telegraphy connected directly with the brain, the seat of intelligence and the home of the mind, — thus making the mind omni- present in the body. Thus, the voluntary sytem of muscles is under the control of the mind. Consequently the mind is placed in the command of the motions of the body, which they are made to obey with precision and despatch. These voluntary muscles are subjects for education during all orderly life in the body. This education in the child is conducted by long and tedious experiment and imitation, and supplemented by extensive exercise. In the adult the mind comprehends and directs, and practice insures the result, thus fitting CAUSE AND PKEVENTIOK^. 21 the muscles for their respective duties. Prac- tice must ever be an essential element in the formation of all motions if the body is to become a perfect instrument for the mind. A time comes when the muscular education is so far complete that passable motions may be produced on the first attempt, but repeti- tion will add dignity and grace and other- wise improve them. The muscles are separate organic forms, highly endowed with life. They may act separately during states of disorder ; but when in order they act, in a sense together, under what is known as reciprocal action, — which really is a confederation or correlation of the muscles, — and secure to the body the complete unity of force. Each muscle merges its own individuality in that of all the others, and the whole work under the dic- tates of the mind as one muscle. The mind, therefore, has by a single impulse the total force of the body under its instant com- mand. 22 SEA-SICKNESS. The nerves are minute, filmy sheaths, in which is contained substance similar to that of the brain, and are outcomes from the brain, substantially a part of it. They are inert, void of motion and strength, and are endowed w^ith the property by which they transmit sensation 'and life. Thus they are vehicles for thouo-ht and feelino;. Their office is to convey intelligence and power, and in this service the mind employs them. The nervous and muscular systems form substantially the realm of the body, over which the mind holds sway. And while laws are obeyed, this realm is a most agreeable abode. It is guarded on every hand. Noth- ing however trivial can enter this immense domain without in some way aflecting the whole. Hopes, fears, affection, sjanpathy, in short, all emotions flow through the body, changing its action and producing different manifestations. We may realize this, in a partial degree, in the face of a friend with whom we may be in conversation. All the CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 23 delicate chano'es there occurrino:, and multi- tudes besides which are invisible, are but the production of this perfect and wonderful instrument in the employ of the mind. The reader may now see what a force is placed at his command. The nerves are his messengers, the muscles are his servants. Every motion he desires, be it slow or quick, soft or harsh, careless or precise, will be instantly executed. There is no practical limit to the changes and manifestations pos- sible by means of the combined use and action of the nerves and muscles. In the few preceding words I have brought to your attention in sufficient detail for my purpose the means at your command, which, if used intelligently, will exempt you from sea-sickness, and perhaps afford you a means of comfort in other important rela- tions in life. I will now consider what we shall experi- ence and be called upon to overcome by the orderly use of the powers which have been 24 SEA-SICKNESS. traced as being at your command. The most prominent of these is gravity. This we understand as an elementary force in the universe. It acts upon all objects, com- pounds, and things, keeping all in a fixed and definite position with reference to the com- mon centre of our globe. This is its aim, and for this it is furnished with a mild, but at the same time irresistible power. When objects or things obey gravity they are said to be in equilibrium. They are really at rest. In this state the man is altogether unconscious of the existence of any such force acting upon his body. If the body for any cause is thrown out of this relation, it be- comes the instant effort of gravity to re- store it. The actual operation of this law is seen when a stone is started from the top of a declivity. That stone will become content only when it reaches a place of rest. We see the true line which gravity imposes upon the human body, which secures perfect rest CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 25 to the body, in the plumb-line and ball. The ball set in motion will finall}^ come to a rest. This is done by gravity alone. We are unable by calculation to determine this point until it is marked by the unbiased movement of the ball coming to a rest. Whatever opposes this law must inevitably experience defeat. It acts upon the body as a whole, and also on all the adjuncts of the body separately. The fact that certain compounds are en- closed in vessels does not interfere with the action of gravity. Solid, fluid, or aeriform substances alike obey it. The motions of the body are influenced and are equally amenable to it as the vast masses of the planets which roll in stellar space. The efiect of this attracting power upon the fluids of the body, and every atom or particle which compose the body, may be seen objectively by placing water in a dish and chano^ins: its level. The Avater will move from side to side in strict obedience to 26 SEA-SICKNESS. gravity to come to rest at a place the nearest to the actual centre of the earth. The body is composed of four-fifths fluid, which en- deavors to perform the same thing as the water in the dish, when the body antagonizes gravity. Fhiids in the body in some degree act as graduators to enable the body to con- form itself to gravity, similar in this respect to the ocean, which acts as a movable graduator for the globe, thus holding the earth to the form of a sphere in agreement to this law. We come naturall}^ to details in this study for the purpose of seeing what occurs to the body under ultra conditions. It has been stated above that the unity of force and con- sequent order of the body depends upon the reciprocal action of the muscles. If this is disturbed, the mind is dethroned. It loses its command of a united force, and order is gone. We may readily appreciate the condition if we reflect that some hundreds of muscles, all abounding with life and action, are cast loose, and work, each more or less, in its own way CAUSE AXD PREYEXTIOX. 27 without a central authoritative commander. Disobedience to gravity causes the suspension of the reciprocal action of the muscles, and there is imposed upon the body the above disordered condition. This is what we call sea-sickness. Sea-sickness is by no means a disease, as has always been suspected. Yet this is not saying much in palliation. The organs are all in a healthy state, but they are in awful disorder. If we compare sea- sickness with other ailments, as to human suffering, it outranks anything which I can conceive of, and I am not destitute of com- petent knowledge as to sea-sickness in my own person in all its phases. I am also tolerably well-informed as to the sensations produced by extracting teeth. There is always a specific point in man's body nearer than any other to the centre of the globe, which is known as the centre of gravit}^ to which the superincumbent mass above must adjust itself. This is also called the point of rest. If no movement of the 28 SEA-SICKNESS. body takes place, it is maintained in this state of equilibrium ; but as soon as any motion disturbs this arrangement gravity asserts its power. If the head and arms are thrown forward, a leg and foot must be thrust backward to maintain equal pressure over this point of rest. If the head is pushed still further forward without a corresponding movement backward, we become giddy. This, we may regard, as a timely warning that the equipoise is broken. If we continue to advance our upper body beyond the line of gravity, the body will be thrown to the ground. Few, perhaps, fully realize how friendly afid beneficent this power which holds the universe in order is to the human body. When men violate its laws it gives the gen- tle warning of giddiness while on the land, and it sends gentle notice on the water, in the form of nausea, before proceeding to ex- ercise its terrible force by which the man is thrust down to a place of rest, that he may CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 29 regain his equilibrium, or agreement with gravity. In general, we do not take account of gravity through any action of our minds. We learn about it in childhood by many a hard bump on our heads, and not a few bruised bodies. In that way it became a perfect habit, — so perfect, indeed, that our bodies respond to the most gentle hint of gravity, and thus we are protected. It has become so common with us all that we do not think about it, even when it is highly important that we should do so. If we go upon the edge of a high cliff or lofty build- ing, and become dizzy, w^e do not always think that gravity has become offended, and that it is the cause of this peculiar sensation. Yet, if we would reflect, we should perceive that fear had become an adjunct of the mind, and caused the body to shrink away from the line of rest, and that gravity now interposes its authority to draw us away from danger by this significant warning of dizziness. 30 SEA-SICKNESS. Fear in the mind dulls the fine instincts of the body, and the mind is deprived of cor- rect information. In this way the delicate hints of gravity, which are the natural safe- guards, are disregarded, and the body is un- wittingly led into absolute rebellion to gravity, and is really the victim of fear. Further on we shall have occasion to say more about fear, as it is an active and vigilant enemy at times, and shall be duly unmasked for your benefit. It must be quite apparent that gravity brings the man into subjection to its require- ments by regular stages of progress, when possible — the first being its external warn- ing, followed by the internal reaction of the fluids which completes the demoralization, — and thus the government becomes a wreck. Each stage leaves a chance for the man to correct his error, if he will. I have spoken thus at length on the nature of gravity, because its methods of action are apparently obscure in the minds of the CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 31 greater number of people who are very in- telligent upon other matters. Moreover, it is only through this ignorance that sea-sick- ness has baffled the observers of the past, and practically controlled the human race since the world bes^an. But the question arises, how has it done so? The answer is, when I am on the ocean my centre of gravity is moved from its accustomed place by the incline of the deck, occasioned by wave-action on the ship. My mind is unprepared for this change. It is occupied by observing the new and strange surroundings, of sea and sky, and vessel, and does not pay attention to the demands of gravity. Fear defined, or undefined, en- ters the mind, and lends a hand in the pre- vailing confusion; nausea sets in, and this warning is not understood, and prostrating sea-sickness will follow apace unless I yield at once to the dictates of gravity, w^hich has at this point become pretty thoroughly offended. 32 SEA-SICKNESS. But precisely how am I to do this ? We will see. When I am on the land if I do anything which disturbs gravity, I resist it with muscular tension, and this is proper there, and restores harmony. On the ocean I naturally, from long habit, attempt the same thing, but here it is all wrong. Gravity is the same on both sea and land ; but if I resist on the ocean, the effort is at once nul- lified by the moving surface. I feel the con- flicting influence of two opposing forces, gravity and Avave-action, and both are abso- lutely irresistible. Therefore, before I can become at ease, I must yield obedience to both these powers, and the only way left to do do this is to relax my muscles. This I can do by the simple determination of my mind ; since, as we have seen, the muscles are truly and entirely under mental control. My body instantly becomes pliant, and yields to both the overruling powers. When the muscles are held in tension, by which the form is maintained erect, and CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 33 the bodily movements are made sharp and decisive, the weight of the body is distrib- uted among all the muscles. Each sup- ports its part, while at the same time, like pressure upon a coil of wire, tension makes each muscle a spring. This gives an elastic step, which is the characteristic of the most approved gait for land. This habit cannot be transferred to the ocean. Gravity and the motion of the sea absolutely forbid it. Gravity and the ocean both compel the use of muscles in dominant relaxation. They must and will have loose muscles. If you try to evade this, you will surely pay the penalty, which is sea-sickness. We will see how this dominant relaxation works, and what its mode is of producing such a revolution in such an easy way. I have stated above what tension does, and how it disposes the weight of the body. We find that relaxation acts quite as effi- ciently in another way. It places the weight of the body in the feet. It becomes abso- 34 SEA-SICKNESS. lute ballast for the body, and thus leaves the upper parts of the body light, and in a perfect condition to obey gravity with no resistance. The true line and centre of gravity is perfectly accommodated by a pro- cess the exact opposite to that in use upon the land. When relaxation takes the weight to the lowest part of the body, the same thing is done for the body as we perform in placing ballast in the hold of a ship, and it is for the same reason in both that gravity may be thus accommodated. Such is the nature of sea-sickness that if a person when on the sea is able, either con- sciously or unconsciously, to yield passively to the varied demands of the forces that act upon him, he finds no discomforts. But if he persists in doing as he would upon the land, he finds two forces warring in his mem- bers. His muscles, hard to their utmost rigidity, are tr3^ing to hold the particles, both fluid and solid, of his internal organs in one place, while the motions of the vessel and the CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 35 • attraction of gravity are continually drawing them to another place. Between these forces the poor victim becomes a sorry wreck, and giddiness, nausea, and sea-sickness close in upon him, and he becomes a prisoner with tortures which must be felt in order to be understood. It will thus be seen that the perfect and only remedy for sea-sickness is relaxation of the muscular system, fully comprehended and diligently practised, until it becomes a habit. This process of holding the muscles loosely is as easy as that of tension. Indeed, it is much easier, only, as it is a new habit, it re- quires a short season of attention to its exer- cise in order to fix the habit, or to change from one to the other with ease. If 3^our mind is foirly convinced without any lingering doubts or uncertainty, all im- pediments will disappear and the habit will be yours at once, — and so perfect will it be- come that your body will be guarded in its 36 SEA-SICKNESS. slumbers with equal care as when you are awake. A comparison of motions on land and sea will familiarize your mind with this sub- ject. When I walk up and down,- and around the sides of a hill which inclines at an angle of thirty degrees, I feel no in- convenience in consequence of this sharp incline. I am not dizzy, nor do I think about gravity. If I analyze my motions, I find that in the ascent I leaned forward with the upper parts of my body. In the descent I lean backward. In moving round the hill I shorten the leg on the up-hill side, and leno^then the les; on the down-hill side. This is what we all do under relaxation of our muscles, and it is all performed by an auto- matic process which has caused us no con- scious thought. When on shipboard I find the vessel roll- ing, my motion to accommodate this is the same as that of passing around the sides of a hill, and when the ship pitches, and tosses up CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 37 her bows in mounting a sea, my motions are the same as in going up and down the hill ; therefore these movements arc not wholly new to me ; and, if no fear has crept into my mind, I can perform them Avithout much embarrass- ment. There are, however, motions produced by the ocean swells which are so widely different from anything experienced on land, and so highly imporant that they require a detailed description. The swell is by far the most dangerous motion which we meet. These swells themselves are generally known as tidal. They exist in all waters which ebb and flow. They are present and extremely effective for mischief to our land-trained bodies on a glassy sea. They are increased in magnitude but unchanged in regularity by winds. They may be seen, a spent and dying force, as they roll in upon the beach. On the blue waters of the broad ocean they are the very ideal of majesty, and the mind unconsciously receives their steady 38 SEA-SICKNESS. and measured semblance of breathing as evi- dence of life. These SAvells are smooth and lengthened masses of water. They are undulations with- out progress. Their altitude is various, some- times hardly noticeable, and without a ripple or fleck upon their surface. Winds act on them quickly, producing ripples, increasing the ripples to white caps, and then tossing and tumbling them into a wide expanse of danc- ing, flashing foam crests ; or the wind may become a gale or tempest, when all in view is one vast roaring and tumultuous mass of chopped and broken swell and threatening billows. Such are some of the surround- ings in which you will find yourself upon the ocean. Mark the contrast between the calm and changeless land you have left and this restless surface, on which you are to learn to find a quiet and comfortable home. The ship before she leaves the wharf takes in ballast, which acts upon her in the same way CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 39 as the leaden ball upon the plumb-line. The dash of the waves and the action of the swell destroys the state of rest induced by gravity, and moves the ship out of its true line. The frantic eflbrt of the ship under the pressure of her ballast to restore her equipoise produces peculiar motions, which are made noticeable by the changing incline of the deck. These motions are the true seat of our difficulty, and it is, therefore, necessary to explain them with some degree of detail. A ship pitches, rolls, lurches, rises and falls vertically, staggers, trembles, takes on a permanent list, and makes other less important motions. All these are subject to varying degrees of intensity. There is no such thing as a simple motion of a ship ; all are compound, made up of two or perhaps the whole cata- logue given above. Every addition increases the complication of the resulting motion which acts upon our bodies. The pitch, roll, and the vertical movements are a constant compound. The lurch is occasional, but hard 40 SEA-SICKNESS. to bear, as it is irregular, — produced by a glide of the ship out of her true course as she passes diagonally downward to the hollow from the top of a swell. The vertical, or rise and fall, occasioned by the tidal wave, or swell, is a part of every movement, and is the most to be feared. It is ceaseless and new ; the land afibrds to us no parallel. It causes in us the feeling that the ship will never cease moving upward, or downward, unless we resist with all our might. This we do involuntarily with muscu- lar tension, although we cannot but perceive that our opposition reacts upon ourselves in the same proportion to the force expended. The muscles become rigid, or tense, and this resistance results in certain sea-sickness. To prevent this, or cure it, if it has acquired foothold, we must make use of the precise opposite to tension, which is its perfect anti- dote ; namely, relaxation or non-resistance, which is simply a pliant, supple condition of the body. CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 41 This vertical motion, from its force and constancy, is the underlying element among the motions that act with the most potent power in producing sea-sickness. It may be illustrated by the common swing, with which its motions are very nearly identical. To make the illustration quite complete, the ropes for the swing should be about twenty feet in length, thus giving a long sweep, which is a glide upward and downward. So long as we use muscular exertion to extend and prolong the sweeps we experience de- light ; the swing becomes one with our body, and the harmony is complete ; but if muscular force is used in resistance to it nausea will result. I need only to insert " ship " in place of swing, and you have the whole matter open before your mind. The most obvious and demonstrative de- rangement to the body occurring in sea- sickness makes its appearance in the frontal region of the body, including the thorax and abdomen. When the vessel rises the muscles 42 SEA-SICKNESS. of this region pull in resistance downward ; when the vessel sinks to the trough of the sea they pull upward, thus producing a con- tinuous churn-like motion. This has the same effect upon the contractile walls of the stomach as if an emetic was acting therein, while at the same time the movements act with great efficiency upon all the fluids con- tained within the vessels of the body. The involuntary system does not wholly escape this widespread influence, as we have the diaphragm somewhat involved, which gives its notice in the sensation of suffocation. The blood is irregularly distributed, some organs becoming surcharged, while others are de- frauded, and a whole host of symptoms arise, more or less obscure, but none the less per- plexing, but comparatively overlooked be- cause less obtrusive than others which have the ability to make their troubles known in a very disagreeable manner. For instance, the stomach, which has had the very unenviable credit of being the seat of the difficulty, and CAUSE AKD PREVENTION. 4S has had to do penance for this suspicion, in getting rid of horrid mixtures placed there to cure the suspicion. It is pretty nearly the same with the innocent nerves, or some special groups of them. These have had to undergo the torture of paralyzation or drunkenness for deeds which they were in nowise guilty. The cause herein made apparent does of itself suggest its own remedy. Tension or resist- ance being plainly the cause producing all the complications, we have at once the true antidote in relaxation or non-resistance. It is the old, old story, ever being repeated, '^ cease to do evil and learn to do well." If this is thoroughly attended to sea-sickness will be impossible. If by any chance you become careless, and through neglect of practice the muscles are not properly trained, and sea-sickness steals upon you almost unobserved, you must stand up and relax your muscles until your feet seem to you like lumps of lead. This Avill restore conformity to gravity. Then walk 44 SEA-SICKNESS. about as best you can with your clumps of feet, which of themselves will compel you to assume a loose, swaying motion. By this exercise, unity of force will be recalled under tue correlative principle, and you will find yourself master again. If your mind has failed to comprehend perfectly the full importance of its charge to hold the body in relaxation during slumber, and you find yourself awakened with nausea, you may be certain that j^our body has been resisting motion while you were in sleep. You must then relax your muscles to the utmost, and hold j^our body clearly away from contact with the woodwork of your berth. This will bring you into agreement with gravity, as you will then find that your body is lying very close to the bed, and will appear to you very heavy. If you desire to know the immense difi'erence in apparent weight between a body in tension or relaxation, only try the experiment of lifting a body from the floor in tension and in relaxation. That will CAUSE AND PREVENTION. 45 convince you of what seems to be a foolish vagary, and will cause it to become a con- scious fact. The exercise which is to recall your muscles to the orderly unity may be performed by sharply clinching your fists and relaxing them in alternation. A careful investigation of the facts herein presented, and treated by your mind in its own independence, together with experiments upon your own person as you have the favor- able opportunity, cannot fail to impart that confidence of belief which will w^holly banish anxiety as to the effect of sea-going, while it is still in contemplation ; and will secure the undisturbed rule of your mind over your body while on the ocean, whether in storm or calm. It is an ancient axiom that the human body is a world in miniature, — a counterparted uni- verse, embracing all its elements, and subject to the same laws. The system we have been considering furnishes a striking illustration of this as being a matter of fact. The power 46 SEA-SICKNESS. of gravitation forms the basis of order and stability for the universe ; it also performs the same oflSce for the human body. We have been accustomed to think of sea-sickness as the result of some specific or peculiar de- rangement of one, or, at most, a few organs of the system, as, for instance, the stomach or some single system of nerves, or some group of muscles, whereas we find that the wdiole universe of the body is thrown into complete chaos or disorder by our voluntary disregard of the laws to which it is subject. PROOF. '* To the law and the testimony." in. PROOFS OF THEORY DRAWN FROM OBSERVATION. If the foregoing rationale of sea-sickness is true, it must apply to the various condi- tions of all persons who go down to the sea in ships. These consist of two classes, — the sailor, and the traveller. We will first consider the sailor. His business lies on the sea, and he finds no hinderance in his labors from the evils which afflict the landsman on its ever-moving sur- face. From what cause, or whence comes his im- munity ? Wo must accord to him the same physical organization which is the natural 48 SEA-SICKNESS. heritage of our race ; yet he appears to hold a charmed life. It is not explained by exam- ining his food, clothing, literature, or organ- ism, for they do not essentially differ from the landsman. He has a style and action of his own. How does this happen? He was born in the rural district of northern Ver- mont, on the hills of Ncav England, and shared his boyhood with his brothers and playmates, who still linger around the old home, and are similar in all respects to other landsmen. He has left his home in the high- lands, and taken his position upon the sea, at twelve years of age, and has followed this vocation for twenty years. He now stands before us a marked character. In speech, in walk, in every motion, he seems as if tied together loosely with strings. The articula- tions of his body seem to the casual observer to take him to a new order. He has a brother by his side who has not been on the sea at all. These brothers are now so widely different that an Agassiz would almost class PROOFS OF THEORY. 49 them separately. And yet, if we examine closely, we find only a diff*erence in educa- tion; and this not from books or system, or even study in which the mind was the chief factor. It has come to him from the exigen- cies of his vocation. His motions have been compelled by the ocean, his voice by cul tivation in competition with the "sounding sea" and the boisterous winds. He is edu- cated for the sea, and he tenderly loves it as his home. All things he has found useful there he dearly prizes. He even exaggerates their value in very pride. They are viewed by him as accomplishments, and he displays them on the shore ; and they are never left behind by him wherever he goes. They do seem odd to the landsman, but they are an art. It is accordino; to strict science. Divested of its pride and exaggeration, it is the necessity for the ocean. It is what you have been told in part H. of this work. It is predominant relaxation formed into a perfect habit. The loose articulation of the sailor's body is due 50 SEA-SICKNESS. solely to his habit of using his muscles in re- laxation. It is his pride and love which has superadded all the oddities which so mark and, as is said, mar the man's appear- ance when he becomes a sailor. All this is needless, as we can have all the sailor pos- sesses without such outer action. It is this habit which enables the sailor to perform his duties on every part of the ship, aloft or below, in storm or calm. It is the only thing which can enable any one, whether sailor or landsman, to adapt his body to the changing and unsteady ocean surface. The sailor has really been a walking school- master since time began to teach men the true requirements of the ocean ; but men with eyes have seen it not. It has been chiefly from this school I have received my education and my degree. In the long course of my in- struction I have been mulcted in large sums as tuition, and still larger sums in fines and penalties, which have been faithfully paid in the coin of sea-sickness in all its phases. PEOOFS OF THEORY. 51 It was while lying snug and close in the corner beside the scupper-holes, and about as near dead as alive, that thought became ex- cited by seeing three sailors upon a yard at least forty feet from the deck, their feet resting upon a loose rope running along just be- low the yard, — and it was against this yard their bodies leaned. They were indifferent to my torture. They appeared happy, — they talked and laughed. One was mending a rent in a sail with a needle ; one was ty- ing and retying some ropes ; one in fixing some chafing arrangement ; and all this time they were swaying through the air by the roll of the ship, not less than seventy-five feet, and in constant motion. They did not notice it. They were as much at home there, to all appearance, as if on deck, while I was cribbed, and crowded into this dirty corner in order to hold myself together at all. Here is something truly worthy of envy, and I took a good dose, and it revived me. It stimulated thought, and musing over my 52 SEA-SICKNESS. wrongs, it flashed upon me that those sailors have a method which I need and which I must have. But there 's the rub ; how am I to get it? As for science, that was far from me then. Gravity, relaxation, non-resist- ance stood in my mmd about similar to some Papuan dialect, so far as this difficulty was concerned. At length imitation came to my rescue. I next attempted to ascertain if this peculiar accomplishment of the sailor was an art com- ing within the scope of my powers to master by simple imitation. This formed the woof of many an hour of brain labor. At length the opportunity came, upon a wet, boisterous night at sea, to try the experiment. Sea- sickness was already looming up before me as inevitable, unless some friendly power should come to my rescue. In fear of the ever-pres- ent ridicule attendant upon any appearance of sea-sickness among passengers, I slipped, unobserved, into a dark passageway of the steamer, and there began my rehearsal of the PROOFS OF THEORY. 53 motions of the sailor. I had a good concep- tion of the part, and my swaying body would, no doubt, have created fair applause if on the stage. I had no sooner come fairly to the true inwardness of the character I was per- sonating than, lo ! my internal organs ceased their riot, and sea-sickness disappeared. I was surprised. I could not at once real- ize the situation. I doubted my own senses. I had desired just such a thing, but I placed no real hope in any such result. I walked and turned and moved about, but not a sign of my late trouble appeared. Calm took the place of excitement, and thought assumed its work. I changed my motions to my usual gait, and only a few moments elapsed before ominous notice reached me of trouble in pro- gress, not to be mistaken or unheeded. Again and again I repeated these changes with like results. From that time (now many years ago) to the present the sea has had no power over me to cause me to be sick, during my waking 54 SEA-SICKNESS. hours, unless at the command of my mind for the sake of experiment and confirmation. My experience by day after this was all that I could desire. I very soon found that the sailor exaggerated his motions, and that I could bring the desired result by no special or obtrusive action. But I still had trouble to some extent in my berth. Nausea would come upon me and I would be awakened by it. For a time I remedied this by rising and walking about with my new-found sailor-legs. At length I noticed that when I was awakened by nausea my body would be found pressing hard ao^ainst the woodwork of the berth. I fancied (but I did not then know) that this had something to do with my nausea. I ar- ranged my bed-clothing so that I could not roll against the sides or ends of my berth, and I found it made a difierence favor- able to my comfort. It was at this point that I obtained my first clew to the cause of sea-sickness ; still at the time I was uncon- scious of such a fact. I never wholly became PROOFS OF THEORY. 55 free from nausea during sleep until I had fol- lowed out the clew, and the principles of resistance and non-resistance, or tension and relaxation, become tlie applied science of my ocean life and motion,— since I belong by con- stitution to the class of persons peculiarly liable to continued sea-sickness from begin- ning to the end of my travel upon the water. Encouraged by this measure of success, I continued my investigations with renewed diligence, not confining my observations to the water, but directing my thoughts to the land as well. Facts unfolded themselves to me on every hand, that muscular resistance was a force which, unless narrowly watched, could occa- sion our bodies serious inconvenience and trouble, and that knowledge concerning it was essential to have in aid of our comfort. For instance, I noticed that nausea is often occasioned by the motion of stage coaches and steam-cars and swings, and numerous other conditions, and all of them have their 56 SEA-SICKNESS. rise in muscular resistance, the same as sea- sickness, and in like manner may be made to cease. In many directions I hunted this ground over, and much game was bagged, which, if described, would fill a chapter curious but unnecessary here, but which fortified my theory. When we turn from the sailor to the host of people who make only a chance acquaint- ance with the sea, we find so great a differ- ence in their manner of accepting its condi- tions as practically to divide them into two classes : those who are always free from sea-sickness, and those who invariably suffer from it. The first of these classes constitutes about ten per cent, of the whole number. If we observe them closely, we shall see that they are easy in disposition, quiet in temperament, and at once adapt themselves to the motions of the ship. Their motions are slow and rounded. PROOFS OF THEOKT. 57 The noise of the machinery, the work of the ship, the hammering of the waves, make no impression on them. They sit and read, or move about and converse, with perfect indifference to the chano^e in their surround- ings. In walking we find that they instinct- ively place their feet wider apart than when on land ; and, if they come near any fixed object, they do not catch at it to steady them- selves. When they sit down it is not with des- perate energy, but as if sinking to a place of rest. In short, all their motions are very easy and moderate, and they conform them- selves to the general laws of non-resistance applicable to the ocean. From this class we may learn the same lesson taught by the sailor, since the comfort attained arises from unconscious harmony with the ocean motions. They yield naturally to the power Avhich im- poses new and strange conditions upon them ; and by relaxation of muscles become non- resistant, and thus safe from sea-sickness. 58 SEA-SICKNESS. Probably about twenty-five per cent, of the remaining ninety per cent, of ocean travellers suffer comparatively little. They all have the incipient stages, sometimes lasting for thirty or more hours, and lose their appetite for a time before they yield to the government of non-resistance. It is in- teresting to watch in this class of passengers the changes which come over their motions in passing from resistance to non-resistance, remindinsr one of a dissolvin^: view. The discomforts of the first few hours gradually subside ; little by little they take on the movement of the ship, and sway as it sways* Precisely in the degree in which they accom- plish this, comfort is secured. Others from the ninety per cent, succumb entirely at the commencement of the voyage ; but, becoming in part non-resistant, are re- warded by freedom from illness in fine wea- ther, although a storm renews their suffer- ings. At least ten per cent, of those who seek the sea for health, business, or pleasure PROOFS OF THEORY. 59 suffer much from the moment of embarka- tion to that of landing. Even the sight of the water from the wharf gives them a fore- taste of future misery. They are painfully sensitive to trifles, to which the mass of peo- ple are indifferent. The want of harmony in sounds, and daintiness in objects, rasps and frets. Their motions are angular, their steps uncertain ; they grasp convulsively at fixed objects, as they move about. Their whole effort is towards resistance, and they sufier a most grievous and dangerous penalty. Both the sailor and the traveller confirm the truth of the theory advanced, — that re- laxation of the muscles is the perfect and only prevention of sea-sickness, and the only remedy when it alreadj^ exists. That this is so, may be made still more plain by the following considerations : — There are three factors to be taken into ac- count in solving the problem of sea-sickness, — gravitation, the ocean, and the human body. The first two are unchangeable and irresisti- 60 SEA-SICKNESS. ble ; but the human body has wonderful powers of adaptation to the influences which are brought to bear upon it. When these three factors are brought into close relationship, and antagonism arises be- tween them, the human body, being the only one capable of change, must adjust itself to the other powers to secure harmony. We have seen the method by which it may be be done through the intelligent use of man's bodily powers. Every sea-going vessel, with its burden of passengers and crew, illustrates all the phases of sea-sickness, or of exemp- tion from its sufferings, and shoAvs the rea- sons for both conditions. The reader ma}^ thus easily assure himself, both by his own experience and that of those around him, that the statements I have made are true. He will also find occasion to wonder that the thread of ignorance which has held the sea-traveller in thraldom for ages is so slen- der, and may be parted so easily. KELAXATION. " Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, Which we ascribe to heaven." IV. RELAXATION OF THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM CONSIDERED IN ITS GENERAL USES. A THOROUGH understanding of the princi- ples involved in relaxation of the muscular structure is of immense importance to all who seek relief from the exhaustion occa- sioned by an overtasked body or brain. They apply to all the methods by which en- tire change in such cases are usually sought. The perfect equestrian can spend day and night in the saddle. He obtains the exhila- ration of swift movement with so little fatigue as to have upon the system the effect of rest. To accomplish this, however, he 61 62 SEA-SICKNESS. must yield so absolutely to the movement of his horse as to justify the ancient fable of the centaur. In carriao^e-drivinsr it is the same. Ease is only obtained by so perfectly accepting the motions of the vehicle, as to become one with it. Even the friendly rocking-chair does not give its votaries the full measure of delight unless the occupant is obedient to this law. Precisely similar in its demand is the ocean travel ordered by the physician, in a large class of disorders ; and if with the pre- scription he would give the necessary instruc- tion respecting the method to be adopted in carrying it out, he would be rewarded v\ath al- most invariable success. As it is, the time and money expended often afford ver}^ inadequate results, — sometimes are lost in failure, — and again prove worse than useless. Only a small percentage of ocean health-seekers are improved to the full measure of expecta- tions. HELAXATION. 63 Since sea-voyages are recommended by skilful physicians, after making a careful diagnosis of the patient's condition, it has been a mystery that such varied effects should have resulted, starting, as they do, under almost identical conditions. Our theory furnishes an explanation. When a physician recommends a sea-voy- age to his patient, he desires for him such a change in all the conditions of his life as shall have the effect of absolute repose. He takes into account freedom from the daily friction, from whatever cause it may have come ; an miaccustomed climate and diet ; a succession of new objects for the eye ; of new sounds for the ear ; of new interests for the mind. It would appear as if these must be all-powerful; yet they are far from prov- ing so. A single enemy often neutralizes their effects, and makes the physical discomforts of the passage more than a match for their salu- tary influence. 64 SEA-SICKNESS. The application of our theory enables us to perceive why some persons who try the ocean for recuperation are immensely bene- fited, while others are not helped, and still others are absolutely injured. The explanation lies in the various degrees in which the different classes are afiected by sea-sickness. Such as yield easily to the ship's motions do so by relaxation ; and this affords perfect rest, and the power to appro- priate the healing influences offered them. The second class, being unable to do this, can obtain no rest, and, therefore, no relief. The third class are really injured, because they do not accept the conditions, but main- tain a steady fight on the ocean, and become exhausted by the conflict, and return to the land worse than when they left it. I trust the reader will not fail to see, that this principle of relaxation of the muscular system has a prominent place in the common occupations of life. It applies not alone to rest, but also to activity. It underlies \ EELAXATION. 65 achievement in every department, when a true and steady hand, or an accurate brain is required. No man can become certain of hitting his mark with firearms, except he uses his mus- cles in relaxation. The most delicate lines of the engraver are alone possible by this use. The most perfect success of the surgeon in his exquisite tasks, is assured in the same way. The brain works more expeditiously and felicitously under this rule of relaxation. As a remedial agent it affords relief from derangements which baffle the physician's skill, and render the patient miserable. Undoubtedly, we make sad errors in the use of tension, under the mistaken idea that superabundant life is superabundant health to the body. Probably, in eight cases out of ten, ex- cessive use of tension is the true mechanical cause of insanity. If we were not compelled by sleep to cease the use of tension, as the commander of our 66 SEA-SICKNESS. body, we should all become insane. What we commonly characterize as a level head, means much more than a vulgarism. It is one who holds his body in equilibrium as to tension and relaxation. It holds in the ex- pression a delicate truth. Please look upon a healthy body in slumber, and see the long, slow, and steady respiration. This is but an elo- quent tribute to relaxation as the commander which induces this pleasing state upon us. It does not detract from the dignity of our bodies to call them machines or engines, which they so perfectly similate. Life is the motive power, tension the throttle-valve. The nerves are the steam-pipes leading to the cylinder. The muscles are the machinery of motion. The supply of life is unlimited. We have the control of the throttle-valve. We may run at twenty or eighty miles an hour. The latter rate of speed brings mo- mentary danger and chances that the engine will jump the track, and then comes a crash, a wreck ! In our bodies this is called in-^ RELAXATION. 67 sanity. On the railroad we call it an acci- dent. It should be called neither, as it should not occur at all. Not the least among the uses of the ocean is its oflSce of acting as nature's own alembic in rectifying the air of our globe, — the vast space which may seem to the thoughtless as a dreary waste and loss, and of no use. But these apparently silent solitudes are far from being in idleness in* the world's great econ- omy. The vital aliment which sustains life requires just these conditions. It is there where the essential element for man's very existence on this planet is made pure, and free from the contamination, that has be- come amalgamated with it, while pass- ing over the land. On the ocean, decay is not contributing elements of pollution. Offensive odors, so plentiful in and around our large cities, do not there exist. Thus it is that the ocean becomes a healino; fountain of living waters, suited for the health-wrecked landsman, where he may repair his damages 68 SEA-SICKNESS. with some degree of hope. The supply of this health-giving pabulum is boundless and free upon the ocean, but not elsewhere. Unlimited wealth ^is powerless to command equal conditions upon the land. The ele- ment of danger which formerly existed is no more to be feared. The frail human plants which abide in the greenhouse temperature, and vitiated air of their gilded palaces in the great cities, are but poorly fitted as the Adams and Eves of a continuous, progressive race. They per- haps better simulate blossoms cut in alabaster. Yet these may hope, with good reason, that contact with the ocean may bring the ruddy glow of health, and command vigor, vivacity, and a richer endowment of physical life. There is no lack or stint in the supply. The physician is perfectly conscious of all this. He has vainly desired to make it available to his fading patients ; but the lion of sea- sickness has ever stood in the way, and quenched his generous aspirations. ' RELAXATION. 69 In attempting to investigate the cause of sea-sickness, I presently learned the impor- tance of relaxation as one of the factors, but before I could make use of it intelligently I was obliged to ascertain its nature, power, and effect. My field for this examination was necessarily my own experience. I found that when I was tired, oppressed, and ner- vous, sleep could not be coaxed to my relief for hours. My mind, in spite of my will, would work on with the speed of lightning. It would repeat the events of the day with painful detail, or the books I had been read- ing with verbal accuracy, or the trains of thought with which I had been occupied in an unbroken and endless series. But when I commenced my experiments with muscular relaxation this riot in my mind at once ceased, and all became calm and restful. I could fall asleep almost at my will. Nor is this control of the muscles through the ascendancy of the mind difficult of at- tainment. On the contrary, it is quickly and 70 SEA-SICKNESS. easily achieved, nothing being needed but a clear perception of the process. By it, when used on shipboard, perfect rest may be obtained by all Avho desire it, and days of health-promoting enjoyment, may be fol- lowed by refreshing slumbers, sweet in itself, and efficacious in its preparation for joys and duties to come. BIKECTIONS. These do but scotch the snake, They do not kill it." V. HINTS TO BEGINNERS IN OCEAN TRAVEL. If the system I have endeavored to explain has been fully mastered in practice as well as theory, no nausea will be felt by the most delicate ocean traveller. If, however, in consequence of an idea that a knowledge of its principles only is suf- ficient until the moment of need, or from a lack of belief in its efficacy, or the pressure of many duties, it has been postponed, and but imperfectly understood and accepted, great care will be required to ward oif an attack of sea-sickness until time shall have been gained in which to make up the defi- ciency. 71 72 SEA-SICKNESS. Except relaxation of the muscular system, nothing is so productive of good as ease of body and tranquillity of mind. To secure this, business arrangements should be completed and banished from the mind as subjects for care or as a disturbing agency. When going on shipboard, and for a time previous, no change in diet should be made as to quality or quantity. It is a mistake to alter or much interfere with any habit we have, be they good or bad, on the eve of a voyage, as it disquiets the body and unfits it for new conditions. It is desirable to go on board early enough to arrange the state-room, which should have been carefully chosen, so as to secure the most quiet and the least motion ; also to learn all the ship's peculiarities, and arrange- ments which can affect the comfort of the voyage, before the vessel leaves the wharf. Extra bedding should also be secured. The hurry of last moments, the worry over articles left behind or mislaid, the regrets of DIRECTIONS. 73 leave-taking, the despondent feeling of help- lessness, caused by the unaccustomed and strange surroundings, and rendered more acute by a too active imagination picturing future inconveniences and dangers. Every- thing, indeed, which disturbs the mind invites illness and makes it more intense. On land, all this results in headache, often almost unendurable. The sea does not furnish ex- emption from the penalty imposed for thus overstraining the system, but it is quite liable to add to it nausea besides. Warm clothing, with extra wraps for deck exercise, are imperative. With them even an invalid can enjoy the fresh air and a touch of the salt spray. A simple diet promotes digestion, and is conducive to sleep on land ; it is still more so on the sea. Eich sauces and gravies, puddings heavy with fruit, pastries flaky with lard, too great variety of dishes, and an unreasonable amount consumed, are fatal to comfort anywhere. 74 SEA-SICKNESS. Wisdom dictates a degree of self-denial at all times, and makes speedy returns for it in augmented comfort ; especially is this true in a sea-voyage. At night the bed-clothes are to be so arranged and tucked in, that the body will not be inclined to roll and rest ao'ainst the woodwork fixtures, sides or ends of the berth, and thus acquire a basis for the body to make resistance during its slumber. Before risins^ in the mornins^ some coarse bread, or cakes made from graham or oat- meal w^hich Avill require vigor in masti- cation, together with a little milk or tea, taken slowly, will be appreciated by the stomach. Else leisurely — first raise the head, rest- ing it on the hand and elbow. If your head feels at all confused you are to remain just as you are a little while, and this sensation will disappear ; then follow up the movement in a quiet manner. Do not by any means make u^e of any violent or even quick motions in DIRECTIONS. 75 making your toilet, as such might cause serious complications and trouble. These directions, mtended only for begin- ners in ocean travel, may appear trivial ; but nothing is really so which adds to, or detracts from one's powers for usefulness or enjoy- ment. They are here given in the hope that by their successful observance strength will be obtained to put in practice the principles presented in this work. These directions alone must, in the nature of things, be in- adequate to furnish you the security you seek. There you may find by diligent study of other parts of this work, where will appear abundant reasons why this is so, in the broad and undeniable fact, that the ocean is an element which is under the. strict dominion and imperious rule of non-resistance ; and it will be folly for any one to expect immunity from suffering, except through obedience of body and mind to its requirements. HABIT. ** How use doth breed a habit in a man." VI. HABIT ILLUSTRATED. In the gradual development of mind and body, which changes the child into the man, and decides his character and capacity, habit is so important an element that it is entitled to some consideration so far as it aflfects our subject. Essentially, habit is the method of repeti- tion by which a uniform rule of action, either mental or physical, is established. An action which may be at first irksome or even pain- ful, will, if persisted in, at length become involuntary. A habit once formed becomes the property of the mind ; and though not in constant use 76' HABIT. 77 is never quite lost, but may be i-ecalled when needed. The ai^irrei^ate of such habits forms the sum of the man's effective capacity for the performance of his various and manifold duties in life. They are his drilled and efficient troops which are his reliance for immediate eno;a<>:ement. A simple fact will illustrate this point. Suppose that in the study of music I have practised fifty separate tunes until I have mastered their performance, and committed them to memory. As I have acquired these airs I have dismissed them, one by one, from the present attention of my mind, and the power to perform them has become a passive habit. If now, I go to the piano and desire to play ^^ Sweet Home," the notes of that air alone, of all the fifty which I have learned, recur to my mind, and my fingers readily strike the appropriate keys. The passive habit is thus called into activitj^ and if it were formed originally under diligent prac- tice, the effort now to reproduce it, even after 78 SEA-SICKNESS. many years of passivity, is comparatively easy. It is the same with muscular opera- tions of all kinds, and is substantially the ruling element in our life-work, whatever that may be. If the habit be but indifferently formed by clumsy or heedless practice, and it falls into disuse, it may be recalled with more or less difficulty. In this respect, it is similar to any other education, — as indeed, it is nothing but education, — and, therefore, subject to like rules for acquisition. In the formation of a habit, the mind must first comprehend what is required to be done, and then the muscles must be trained to carry out its directions. In the illustration above, the notes of ^^ Sweet Home " were easily read and understood ; but in reducing them to practice, my untrained muscles, like those of a child on first essaying to walk, refuse to obey the mind's directions. It was a tedious and difficult task, which could only be accomplished by persistent effort. Little by little the muscles learned their HABIT. 79 duty under the careful guidance of the mind, until the keys were touched with skill, and the arduous task was changed to a pleasure. It is upon the power of habit to control the muscular action of the body that we must place our reliance to effect the prevention of sea-sickness. This is caused, as stated else- where in this work, by the use of land habits of motion upon the water. We have also seen that those persons who are constantly upon the ocean form a habit, which is proper there and which saves them from suffering ; while those who are but partially accustomed to the sea are usually sick from a lack of the proper habits. It would be very easy to learn the right method if the actions to be performed were altogether new. But, unfortunately, the task required is to do the same things which have been done on the land in a different way ; or, in other words, change the habit of a life- time. This statement seems to imply a serious difficulty, and would almost appear 80 SEA-SICKNESS. hopeless. Yet it is really simple, though requiring at first diligent attention. The motions for the land and sea are precisely the same, except that they are made by a diflferent application of the same power, the muscles being used in relaxation instead of tension. If we were compelled to watch each separate motion in order to cause it to be non-resist- ant, the labor would be very great. But we have only to comprehend mentally the gen- eral principle of loose, swaying motions, which are the product of relaxation, when the whole government of our bodies will become changed for the sea, and we can soon compel our muscles to make this their habit of action. I do not, in laying down this rule, ignore the fact that all motion of the body is the product of action and reaction of tension and relaxation ; but preponderance may be given to the one or the other of these opposites at the option of the mind. If ten- sion be the desire, the mind imposes the im- pulse upon the body, and the whole body at HABIT. 81 once becomes firm and elastic, and the feet will appear to rest but lightly upon the floor. On the other hand, if relaxation be the need, the impulse is given, and all inclines to a pliant and placid state of body. The feet now feel exceedingly heavy. They seem almost to stick to the floor, and we are obliged to sway our bodies from side to side, that the feet may move forward. If we did not sway our bodies, we could not move for- ward except by dragging our feet along the floor, when we make the process up to the maximum of relaxation. We thus see that by the practice of these two forms of motion until they yield due obedience to orders, we may fit ourselves in the privacy of our homes to travel with com- fort upon the ocean ; and when habit is once enlisted in behalf of our new departure, it will be as great an assistance as it was a hinderance while opposed to us. When by practice we can easily give preponderance to relaxation, all our motions will come into 82 SEA-SICKNESS. harmonj^ with the requirements of the ocean, and habit will seal them as its own, by mak- ing them involuntary. Even if comparatively uninstructed as to the general principles of the muscular action, we need have no confu- sion or fear, as we have always at hand an unfailing test as to the quality of our motions in the lightness or heaviness of our feet. This will be a sure guide for correct practice, or actual service. It may appear absurd to some of my readers to say that one can make his feet heavy or light at his pleasure. They may ask, is not the sum of man's avoirdupois all centred in his feet, if he be standinsr? It is so ; but there may be effects produced by the agency of gravity which will so modify this fact as to cause it to appear entirely the opposite. If I place the body of my car- riage directly upon the axle, and ride in it" . over rough roads, the jar will be intolerable ; but if I place a spring between the axle and the body, I am conveyed in comfort. I have HABIT. 83 not altered the avoirdupois of the vehicle ; I have made no change in gravity, but I have introduced a mechanical power which has subdivided the shocks into minute atoms, each one being so small that I do not heed it ; and I say in common phrase that the shocks are removed by the spring, when in fact it is only subdivided, but still remaining. So in speaking of light or heavy feet, I do not mean that the weight is increased or di- minished, but that the method of the pressure is utterly changed by the manner of manipu- lation of the muscular power, and the effect is as obvious as that of the carriage. cautio:Ni. ** Sleep, oh, gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee, That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids down, And steep my senses in forgetfulness." vn. A WORD OF CAUTION. For the system presented in the foregoing pages I am in nowise responsible. I have only pointed out natural laws, and made known their application ; I have invented nothing. It will, doubtless, appear extremely simple, and such indeed is it in theory. The reader, however, will commit a grave, if not a fatal error, if he believes himself master of it without the practice necessary to render it available to him. I have spoken of practice as an element in connection with this system of supreme im- portance. Practice in this, as in all action, 84 A WORD OF CAUTION. 85 is the true parent of habit, and habit is the mode by which the body attains perfect mo- tions. By this method the body becomes a master=workman in whatever it does. Any new thing which requires an exercise of mus- cuhxr power, needs in some degree to go through the performance of learning a trade. A Lord Chesterfield, or a Louis XIV., did not become the masters of bodily motion ex- cept by diligent and persistent practice in all the trivial details. All delicate trades re- quiring skill must come to perfection by the same universal rule. Very few sailors were born such. They have come to their present perfection through practice alone, not by the aid of mind, but the same as a child learns his motions. This admits of radical change in the method of learning this trade, which is that the mind shall take charo-e of the body in this respect, and cause it to do its bidding, and thus by the use of intelligent direction make an open and direct path to the end we seek, — which is that of using our 86 SEA-SICKNESS. muscles the same as the accomplished sailor does. This will be seen, by what has been said in previous pages, to be practical and easily within the compass of every one's powers. Of course, all will not learn with equal facility. Any physician who has studied the human body thoroughly will be able at once to cause his muscles to obey him, and will become a natural sailor at will. But his facility for this came through the practice of his mind upon the nature and powers of his muscular organization. The subject we are considering involves the principles of muscular administration for two separate and distinct conditions. One is for the land, — and this is conducted upon the principle of force, or coercion, or still better by resistance, — the other is for the ocean, and is based upon the opposite principle from that of the land, which is non-resistance. That for the land we all understand from our childhood; that for the ocean has been in use for all past time, but its principles A WORD OF CAUTION. 87 have been practically unknown among men, and is so to this day. The executive principle alone permissible upon the ocean is relaxation of the muscular powers ; or, in other words, non-resistance must become the natural state of the body during its ocean sojourn. This is to be brought about by the use of the same muscles which have been educated upon the land to the habits of resistance. It will now be seen that the apparent sim- plicity, which seemed so complacent, has given place to a problem which requires care- ful attention. Our muscles are required to learn a new trade. They must do their work in an unac- customed manner, but they are apt scholars. If the mind, which is their natural tutor, sees clearly what is required, this problem will be quickly solved. It will set the muscles to their lesson of practice, and will watch them and hear recitations with the most assiduous care ; and it will not allow them to graduate 88 SEA-SICKNESS. until they can pass its strictest ordeal of ex- amination, to the end that the mind may be perfectly satisfied that it can rely upon them alone in any emergency. This accomplished, the man is fitted for the wildest fury of any ocean; nor is he absolutely secure until this is done. The use of this repeated exercise is, first, that the muscles be made to do a new thing in an easy and natural way, and, secondly, that the mind may become convinced of their ability to obey its orders, and thus freed from all doubts or care concernino; them. The value of practice consists greatly in its being an antidote to fear or any of its numerous family, all of which have much to do with the comfort and health of the body while upon the ocean. A familiar illustration will show something of the method by wdiich fear acts upon the body. Suppose a plank raised six inches above the floor ; I can walk or run across it with the same ease as if it were on the floor. A WORD OF CAUTION. 89 Place it now fifteen feet above the floor, and I cannot now cross without positive danger. Fear will demoralize my muscles and render them unreliable, and they become useless to me. But if the plank is raised two feet, and I cross it slowly and quietly, until I become accustomed to that height, and then the plank is raised four feet and I repeat the process, it may be thus raised to a great height without causin