Old Men, New Tricks

One of the best bruited rules in industrial medicine is that a man needs a feeling of accomplishment in his job--whatever it may be. This need, an industrial medicine expert told a Manhattan conference last week, often increases instead of decreasing as the man gets older.

Even late in life, said Dr. Edward J. Stieglitz, a change of job may still be the key to improved mental and physical health. Dr. Stieglitz cited the case of a man who had worked in a bank since he was 15--because his parents had thought that this was a secure and respectable way to make a living. But he was frustrated; he wanted to work with his hands, and at 63 he was nervous, underweight and developing an ulcer. When he realized what his trouble was, he went to work in a furniture factory. The satisfaction of making things did wonders. He has gained weight, stopped biting his nails, and has no ulcer trouble. He has risen to foreman.

The old saying that "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," said Dr. Stieglitz, is a falsehood spread by young men who want their elders out of the way and by lazy oldsters who want an excuse for doing nothing.

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