TEMPERAMENT. 



madly on to degradation and death. Some, are impelled by misfortune and misery 

 to the viee that is ruining them the failure of worldly expectations, the death of 

 tlmse they loved, the sorrow that slowly consumes, but will not break the he;irt, 

 drives them to it, and they present the hideous spectacle of madmen dying by their 

 own hands. Others with open eyes plunge into the gulf from which he who once 

 enters never rises more, but sinks deeper and deeper down until recovery is 

 hopeless. 



Temperament is not without its influence on disease. We all recognise the 

 existence of different varieties of temperament ; even the least observant mentally 

 contrasts the typical nervous, excitable Frenchman with his dull, heavy, phlegmatic 

 Dutch fitiij'rcri'. Many temperaments are readily recognisable. First, there is the 

 man with sanguine temperament ; he is quick and lively in his manner, has an j 

 excitable pulse, a florid skin, a flushed face, eats and digests well, and sleeps quickly. 

 He is generally thought to be predisposed to inflammation, but this is not so in 

 reality, and almost the only thing he is especially likely to suffer from is an accident, 

 the result of his pluck, daring, and impetuosity. Then there is the man of phlegmatic 

 or lymphatic temperament, with his cold hands, pallid skin, and fair complexion. 

 He usually eats well, has a fair amount of ability, and a cool, calm, calculating dis- 

 position. He is rather liable to suffer from the effects of cold, and in winter often 

 has chilblains. Next there is the bilious or melancholic individual ; he is usually dark, 

 both physically and mentally ; he has dark hair, and dark eyebrows, and a sallow 

 complexion. He is a heavy sleeper, and is often languid and tired. He suffers 

 from disturbed digestion, a coated tongue, constipation, and flatulence. He is not by 

 any means a good patient, and when he gets typhus or typhoid fever it is apt to go 

 hard with him. Lastly, there is the nervous man, fidgety, restless, easily excited, 

 easily depressed, up one moment and down the next. He is impulsive, but soon 

 gets tired of his hobby, and takes up something else. He is usually a short sleeper, 

 and any excitement or anything wrong with his affairs will often keep him awake 

 all night. He is a likely subject for tic and spasm of all kinds, and is on the whole 

 not an unlikely person to become hysterical. These are the chief forms of tempera- 

 ment, but it must be remembered that two or more may be combined in the same 

 individual. Fortunately, we are not all built on one of these four types. 



In connection with temperament, we must explain the meaning of "diathesis." 

 It means almost the same as temperament, but is a newer word. It is often used 

 in a vague way, and without any very definite meaning. When we speak of a man 

 as having the gouty diathesis, we generally intend to convey the idea that he is a 

 middle-aged, full-blooded, red-faced individual, who is likely at some time or other to 

 become the subject of gout. Many doctors make a point of always treating the 

 diathesis. Thus, in the case we have supposed they would always give the patient 

 colchicum, whatever he might complain of. 



For the maintenance of health, it is necessary that the body should receive a 

 definite supply of food. When people are below par from defective feeding, they are 

 very liable to contract contagious diseases from the slightest exposure to infection. 

 It is a good practical rule not to go into a room where there is fever on an empty 

 stomach. Army doctors know that if a battle is fought before breakfast, or after a 



