Darwin Was a Slacker and You Should Be Too – Science Connected
It&#x27;s easy to be a slacker when you&#x27;re landed gentry.<p>Setting that aside, Darwin worked himself sick. His walks, hiking mountains, etc. <i>were part of his treatment program for overworking</i>!<p>Here are quotes from <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Health_of_Charles_Darwin" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Health_of_Charles_Darwin</a> :<p>&gt; With the memories of Annie&#x27;s death, Darwin did not want to return to Malvern. In 1856, he began writing for publication of his theory, and he pressed on, overworking, until by March 1857 illness was cutting his working day &quot;ridiculously short&quot;.<p>&gt; As his illness progressed, she nursed him, restraining him from overworking and making him take holiday breaks, always helping him to continue with his work.<p>&gt; That October he wrote, &quot;Of late anything which flurries me completely knocks me up afterwards, and brings on a violent palpitation of the heart.&quot;[7] In the spring of 1838 he was overworked, worried and suffering stomach upsets and headaches which caused him to be unable to work for days on end. These intensified and heart troubles returned, so in June he went &quot;geologising&quot; in Scotland and felt fully recuperated. Later that year however, bouts of illness returned—a pattern which would continue.<p>The linked-to page says &quot;The rest of the time, they were hiking mountains, taking naps, going on walks with friends, or just sitting and thinking.&quot;, which elides how some of that was treatment for his poor health!<p>&gt; Gully agreed with Darwin&#x27;s self-diagnosis of nervous dyspepsia and set him a routine including being heated by a spirit lamp until dripping with perspiration, then vigorous rubbing with cold wet towels and cold foot baths, a strict diet, and walks. Darwin enjoyed the attention and the demanding regime which left him no time to feel guilty about not working. His health improved rapidly, and he felt that the water cure was &quot;no quackery&quot;.[8][9] He had no faith in the homeopathic medicines Gully gave him three times a day but took them obediently.[10] They stayed on until 30 June, and back home at Down House, he continued with the diet and with the water treatment aided by his butler. He followed the rules about rising early and rationing his working time and had the Sandwalk constructed in the grounds for his walking exercise, setting a routine which he continued.[11]<p>Plus, that &quot;hiking mountains&quot; doesn&#x27;t mean he wasn&#x27;t working. He was &quot;geologising&quot; - that was work! And his rounds of Sandwalk was famously where he did his &quot;hard thinking&quot; - also work!