. 3. 1.6. OF ASSOCIATION. 437 



but if previous to these any deliberation occurs, a flushed coun- 

 tenance sometimes, and a red skin, are produced by this supera- 

 bundance of volition exerted on the arterial system; but at other 

 times the skin becomes pale, and the legs tremble, from the 

 exhaustion or expenditure of the sensorial power by the painful 

 volitions of anger on the organs of sense, as by the painful sen- 

 sations of fear above mentioned. 



Where the passion of fear exists in a great degree, it exhausts 

 or expends so much sensorial power, either simply by the pain 

 which attends it, or by the violent and perpetual excitement of 

 the terrific imaginations, or ideas, that not only a cold and pale 

 skin, but a retrograde motion of the cutaneous absorbents oc- 

 curs, and a cold sweat appears upon the whole surface of the 

 body, which probably sometimes increases pulmonary absorp- 

 tion; as in Class II. 1. 6. 4. and as in the cold sweats, which 

 attend the paroxysms of humoral asthma. Hence anxiety, 

 which is a continued pain of fear, so universally debilitates the 

 constitution as to occasion a lingering death; which happens 

 much more frequently than is usually supposed; and these vic- 

 tims of continued anxiety are said to die of a broken heart. 

 Other kinds of paleness are described in Class I. 2. 2. 2. 

 M. M. Opium. Wine. Food. Joy. 

 6. Palpitatio cordis a timare. The palpitation of the heart 

 from fear is owing to the weak action of it, and perhaps some- 

 times to the retrograde exertion of the ventricles and auricles; 

 because it seems to be affected by its association with the capil- 

 laries, the actions of which, with those of the arteries and veins, 

 constitute one great circle of associate motions. Now when 

 the capillaries of the skin become torpid, coldness and paleness 

 succeed; and with these are associated the capillaries of the 

 lungs, whence difficult respiration; and with these the weak 

 and retrograde actions of the heart. At the same time the ab- 

 sorbents of the skin, and of the bladder, and of the intestines, 

 sometimes become retrograde, and regurgitate their contents; 

 as appears by the pale urine, in large quantities, which attends 

 hysteric complaints along with this palpitation of the heart; 

 and from the cold sweats and diarrhoea; all which, as well as 

 the hysteric complaints, are liable to be induced or attended by 

 fear. 



When fear has still more violently affected the system, there 

 have been instances where syncope, and sudden death, or a tola! 

 stoppage of the circulation have succeeded; in these last cases, 

 the pain of fear has employed or exhausted the whole of the 

 sensorial power, so that not only those muscular fibres generally 

 exerted by volition cease to act, whence the patient falls down; 



