212 Journal of Comparative Neurology. 



be greatly worried for her, and I devoted myself to her while 

 some of the ladies of the parish attended to the other two 

 children. 



About midnight (Nov. 24) Dr. L. came to us and said 

 that Martha, our second child 18 months old, was dying, and 

 so, at my wife's request, I left her to go and let the child die 

 in my arms. When the child was handed to me I was so ex- 

 hausted that there was no feeling in my heart, it seemed as though 

 all my loved ones were slipping away, and I was benumbed. 

 So, mechanically, I took the little one and sat down, placing 

 my left hand under the head and my right on the throat, and 

 lay back in the chair and closed my eyes, while the doctor sat 

 in front bending over the face to watch the last struggle. My 

 position was purely accidental, and born of long habit by which 

 I instinctively laid my hand on the spot where the pain was 

 located. I had no expectation or thought of helping the child, 

 or arresting the disease, hence I was startled in a few moments 

 by the doctor's exclamation " Why that is a miracle, just look 

 at the child!" 



I looked and met the eyes which had been turned upwards 

 and set, now full of animation and playfulness, and the little 

 hands outstretched to be taken up. I was too stupid to think 

 otherwise than that the doctor had made a mistake in his judge- 

 ment, and with the question ' ' Well she is not going to die right 

 away is she ?" I gave her to one of the ladies again, and re- 

 turned to my wife. 



About five o'clock the doctor came again and said "There 

 is no mistake now Mr. C. ; you must come at once, for she can- 

 not last five minutes." 



Again the child was given me, and again we assumed the 

 same relative positions. But if I was tired and listless before, 

 the added hours of anxious watching had not failed to rob me 

 of all further ability to respond to the natural feelings of a father 

 under such circumstances, and it was with an exhaustive sense 

 of weariness that I closed my eyes and awaited the doctor's 

 word "she is gone." 



Instead, I heard the quick and startling repetition of the 

 previous exclamation " Why this is a miracle Mr. C. What do 

 you do to her?" "What do you mean?" I said querulously, 

 for I felt indignant that he should twice misjudge the case. 

 "Why," said he, " you must do something to her, for look at 

 her, she is reviving just as she did before, and she certainly had 

 all the appearance of one at the last point of death when you 



