U PREFACE. 



he now found, when he strictly examined them, 

 really conveyed no definite idea to his mind. He 

 was told that his "digestion was impaired." He 

 asked what was meant by that ; and was told, his 

 " digestive apparatus was deranged in its economy." 

 My poor brother was still no nearer the mark ; and 

 his medical attendant, observing his puzzled look, 

 proceeded to explain and make the matter perfectly 

 clear, by telling him, that his "secretions were 

 depraved, his gastric juice deficient, his nutritive 

 functions feebly performed, and that the tone, the 

 energy, the nisus formativus in fact, the vis vita 

 was full twenty per cent, below par." The enlight- 

 ened patient bowed his gratitude for this luminous 

 explanation ; and sadly re-seated himself in his chair 

 of sickness as wise, perhaps, but certainly no wiser, 

 than he was before. 



Now, my brother is neither a profound mathe- 

 matician, nor a proficient in astronomy, nor a per- 

 fect chemist ; but he possesses what may be called 

 a gentlemanly acquaintance with all these. That is 

 to say, he understands the great general and fun- 

 damental laws which govern them ; and therefore, 

 if he be asked a question in any one of these sci- 

 ences, although he might not be able to answer 



