In the late 19th and early 20th centuries , workaholicsin America were said to be at risk for developing Americanitis , a dangerous malady unique to citizens of the nation of the complimentary and the home of the brave . It was thought that this disorder , a relative ofneurasthenia , was stimulate by nervous exhaustion and was a unmediated production of “ the hurry , bustle , and unremitting drive of the American temperament , ” self - teach popular psychologistWilliam S. Sadlerwrote in the 1920s .
The term first popped up in the eighties and was most likely coin by an English researcher or , as Annie Payson Paul , writer of 1891’sPower Through Repose , take , a German MD . Either way , it did n’t take long for it to become the diagnosisdu jour .
There was some debate as to whether Americanitis was a disease or just a precursor to more serioushealthissues , such as heart attack and even insanity . But nearly all of the mean solar day ’s experts blamedstresscaused by the relentless pace of living in the U.S. , which was only exasperate by newtechnological advancements . Some pointed fingers at the proliferation of galvanising brightness level , which lengthened the workday .
Most experts believed that the only cure was for sufferers to stop and smell the rosiness . Elbert Hubbard , a ego - service writer of the geological era , suggested his readers “ cut down your career lean , play ticket with the children , and permit the world slue . ” For those too busy to work the few hours a mean solar day Hubbard recommended , there were a number of medical treatments available too , including electrotherapy and potions such asRexall ’s Americanitis Elixirand Neurosine , used to address the symptoms of Americanitis and other neural issues . ( Active ingredient : cannabis . )
famed multitude with Americanitis includedTheodore Roosevelt , who was sent on aretreatin the Badlands as part of his retrieval ; Charlotte Perkins Gilman , Jane Addams , and meatpacking Moghul Nelson Morris , who was said to have choke from it . The experimental condition was most often get a line in midway - aged hands . In 1925 , a writer forTIMEclaimed that the Americanitis was responsible for taking 240,000 lives a year .
By the fourth dimension theGreat Depressionrolled around , however , Americanitis was no longer much of a worry . No workplace , after all , mean no tenseness about work .
[ h / t : Smithsonian.com ]
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A variation of this story was published in 2015 ; it has been updated for 2024 .
