382 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ing on about two hours after meals, is not uncommonly met with in 

 persons belonging to the upper classes who are well fed and have little 

 exercise. It is perhaps seen in its most marked form in young women 

 or girls who have left school, and who, having no definite occupation 

 in life, are indisposed to any exercise, either bodily or mental. I am 

 led to look upon this condition as one of poisoning, both on account 

 of the time of its occurrence, during the absorption of digestive prod- 

 ucts, and by reason of the peculiar symptoms viz., a curious weight 

 in the legs and arms, the patient describing them as feeling like lumps 

 of lead. These symptoms so much resemble the effect which would 

 be produced by a poison like curare, that one could hardly help at- 

 tributing them to the action of a depressant or paralyzer of motor 

 nerves or centers. The recent researches of Ludwig and Schmidt- 

 Muhlheim render it exceedingly probable that peptones are the poison- 

 ous agents in these cases, and an observation which I have made seems 

 to confirm this conclusion, for I found that the weakness and languor 

 were apparently less after meals consisting of farinaceous food only. 

 My observations, however, are not sufficiently extensive to absolutely 

 convince me that they are entirely absent after meals of this sort, so 

 that possibly the poisoning by peptones, although one cause of the 

 languor, is not to be looked upon as the only cause. A glass of soda- 

 water, w^ith or without the juice of a lemon squeezed into it, may be 

 slowly sipped when the feeling of weakness comes on, and a biscuit 

 may be eaten along with it if desired. This will sometimes relieve 

 languor, but if it be found insufficient, a small cup of warm but weak 

 tea or cocoa with a biscuit will act as an efficient stimulant, although 

 they may be less unobjectionable than the soda-water. Heat is one of 

 the most powerful of all cardiac stimulants, and any warm fluid in the 

 stomach will increase its action ; a cup of warm water alone will do 

 this, but it is unpleasant to take, and so something must be added to 

 flavor it : a little claret may be used if tea disagrees, or tincture of 

 ginger and sugar, or even some Liebig's extract. It is the local action 

 of the warmth that we want, and in order to obtain it we may some- 

 times have to put up with the inconvenience of giving substances 

 which will be to some extent injurious after their absorption, such as 

 beef -extract or even whisky. The advice that I have given here, in 

 recommending a glass of cold soda-water or a cup of hot tea, may re- 

 mind one of the countryman in one of ^Esop's Fables who fell into 

 disgrace because he blew upon the fire to heat it, and blew upon his 

 porridge to cool it. And yet the countryman was right, for experi- 

 ence had taught him that the desired result would follow his actions, 

 even though he might not be able to explain the reason why. So we 

 find that a draught of cold water will revive a fainting person, and 

 hot water Avill have a somewhat similar effect. Both of them give 

 relief by stimulating the circulation, but their modus ojyerandl is 

 different. In the case of the hot water the circulation is stimulated 



