172 ANIMAL-SENTIENT FORCES, [i. 



instincts, and passions, which excite this kind of unpleasant 

 feeling, naturally induce a disposition to sorrow, grief, and fear, 

 while the contrary prevent them. Similar results follow from 

 habits of life, diseases, and other circumstances that injure the 

 health, and cause the same sensations as the depressing 

 emotions. 



318. Terror is a violent emotion analogous to fear, but 

 much more intense and sudden. For this reason, it is one of 

 the most dangerous to life (359). The action of the heart is 

 so rapidly and contra-naturally affected, that diseases of the vital 

 forces are thereby instantaneously produced, which not unfre- 

 quently induce immediate death. The pulse is not continu- 

 ously full, but remarkably quick, consequently the hearths action 

 is very irregular, and sometimes the contractions become so 

 convulsive and violent, that the arteries burst ; there is great 

 dyspnoea ; the complexion is deathly ; the extremities cold ; 

 and there are often dangerous fain tings, and even instant 

 death. The other phenomena are analogous to those produced 

 by fear (314). 



319. The actions arising from a foreseeing in terror, are 

 similar to those of fear, and are developed in the same way 

 (compare § 315). 



320. The special actions produced in the animal economy 

 by the direct actions of terror, are in some respects similar to 

 those of fear (316), although with many there is an opposite 

 condition, namely, spasmodic closure of the sphincters of the 

 rectum, bladder, &c., arising probably from the peculiar in- 

 fluence of terror on the muscular system, its effect being to 

 excite spasms and convulsions (Haller^s 'Physiology,^ § 565). 

 On the other hand, terror does not turn the hair gray, like 

 grief and fear. 



321 . Whatever excites fear, predisposes to terror : whatever 

 prevents the one, prevents the other (309, 317). The habitua- 

 tion of youth to endure adversity ; that habitual lightness of 

 spirit, which meets great evils courageously ; the steady fortitude 

 which anticipates the distressing strokes of fortune ; and the 

 happy deception whereby an impending danger is made to 

 appear yet distant ; — these are the true means, by which many 

 may be preserved from terror, or at least from a timid temper. 

 Instead of terrific stories, the history of heroic deeds should 



