Americanitis: Has it ever really gone away?

Elbert Hubbard    (Public Domain)

Some things never change. 

Back in the late 1800s/early 1900s, a diagnosis of “Americanitis” meant that you were stressed out to the max.  A term that was coined in 1880, “Americanitis” was reflective of “the hurry, bustle, and incessant drive of the American temperament.

Those who were said to have suffered from this condition included Theodore Roosevelt and social activist Jane Addams.  By 1925, Time reported that 240,000 per year had succumbed to Americanitis.

Handy-dandy cures at the time included a concoction called Dr. Mile's Nervine.  Yes, Nervine did tend to slow people down; after all, its active ingredient was cannabis.

Mental Floss explains that a more holistic approach involved this wise advice from self-help author Elbert Hubbard:  “cut down your calling list, play tag with the

children, and let the world slide.”

Hubbard’s seasoned advice seems even more pertinent for today’s technological world, a world in which people seem constantly tethered to their deadlines and responsibilities.

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/the-19th-century-illness-that-struck-busy-stressed-out-americans/ar-BBjy5li

Copyright May 13, 2015 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved