AND ANIMAL LIFE. 357 



from the influence of fear ; and others of a simi- 

 lar kind are mentioned by GEORGET, in his Phy- 

 siology of the Nervous System ; indeed, exam- 

 ples of this description are by no means rare. 

 BICHAT, in reasoning upon the origin of the 

 symptoms, endeavours to show, that fear has an 

 intimate connexion with the liver, agreeably 

 to his notions concerning the seat of passions. 

 He states, that the secretion of bile is increased, 

 as proved by the surface becoming of a yellow 

 colour. The change in the aspect of the body 

 appears to be the only fact from which he 

 deduces his opinion : and as this condition 

 occurs in many instances where such a supposi- 

 tion cannot be allowed, we cannot permit it to 

 pass without examination. Jaundice is common 

 in chronic diseases of the liver, in the obstruc- 

 tion of the biliary ducts by stones, or from any 

 other cause producing the same physical effect. 

 It is often found to take place at the commence- 

 ment of certain fevers ; and its derangement is 

 evident in many acute and chronic affections of 

 the abdomen : the secretion of bile appears oc- 

 casionally so much increased, as to characterize 

 particularly one fever. 



CCCCXXIX. Whenever the bile is not allow- 

 ed to take its natural course, it is absorbed and 

 carried along by the circulation through every 

 part of the system, as when the passage is ob- 

 structed by biliary stones or other causes, or by 



