242 THE GLANDS REGULATING PERSONALITY 



naturalist, Henslow, settled his career for him. Henslow heard of 

 a trip of general exploration the ship Beagle was to take and 

 recommended Darwin as naturalist. The captain at first would 

 not hear of the proposal because of Darwin's nose, a typical 

 pituitary proboscis. But his prejudices were overcome, and 

 Darwin sailed. 



It was upon this voyage that Darwin made himself the greatest 

 naturalist of all time, and at the same time infected himself with 

 the virus of neurasthenia. At Plymouth, while waiting for the 

 ship to sail, he complained of palpitation and pain about the 

 heart, probably due to a transient hyperthyroidism, brought on 

 by excitement. During the voyage, which lasted five years, he 

 was afflicted often by sea-sickness. A ship-mate relates that 

 after spending an hour with the microscope he would say "Old 

 Fellow, I must take the horizontal for it" and lie down. He 

 would stretch out on one side of the table, then resume his labors 

 for a while when he again had to lie down. Already fatigability 

 had to be fed with rest. A serious illness that Darwin claimed 

 affected every secretion of his body acted probably as the ex- 

 hausting drain upon his adrenal potential. 



The return to England was the date of onset for a record of 

 continuous illness, aggravated by his marriage, apparently, for 

 his misery increased progressively after it. So much so that he 

 was forced to leave London altogether so as to avoid the strain 

 of social life, even that of meeting his scientific friends or attend- 

 ing scientific society meetings fatiguing him to exhaustion. After 

 such occasions there would be attacks of violent shivering, with 

 vomiting and giddiness. It was necessary for him to impose upon 



If an absolute regime of daily routine. Any in 

 with it upset him completely, and made it impossible for him to 

 do any work. Early morning was the only time for phygj< 



1 exertion. 1 found him thoroughly used up, 



effort. Insomnia made him itfl pray. A 



curious e< : nd cold did in. In 1859, 



"Origin of Species" I I that 



his h< -(digestion 



a looming hopeless breakdown of body and mind made his life 



a burden and a curse. Tl of research be devoted 



to the problems of 



more years, during which he worked upon and produced imu 

 classics of bk e most wretched and unhappj 



from neuras 1 life was a c 



