BRAIN TROUBLES. 279 



-consecutive minutes, any recent impressions. His 

 pulse was feeble, face pallid, and general health shat- 

 tered. His spirits were, however, at times buoyant, 

 and the prognosis which he formed of his own case 

 was favourable/' The result showed that he was a 

 false prophet. Two weeks later he had an epileptic 

 fit. He then became rapidly worse, and ten months 

 aften he died "in a deplorable state of mental im- 

 becility." 



But against such a case as this, which was obviously 

 exceptional, may be set the following case, in which, 

 under similar conditions, so far as appearances were 

 concerned, a complete cure was effected : A barrister 

 complained to Dr. Winslow of occasional attacks of 

 enfeebled memory. " He attributed this mental im- 

 pairment/' says Dr. Winslow, "to the fact of his 

 having been engaged as counsel the previous year in 

 several anxious and severely-contested election cases. 

 I advised an entire cessation from all professional 

 work, but had great difficulty in persuading him to 

 recognise the necessity for a complete abstinence 

 from mental occupation. He promised a guarded 

 acquiescence in my strict injunctions, but finding 

 himself relieved after an interval of a few weeks, he 

 returned, in opposition to my solicitations, to his 

 chambers, and recommenced active practice. As I 

 predicted," proceeds Dr. Winslow, "he soon broke 

 down, and I was once more conferred with. He then 

 acknowledged it to be a matter of vital necessity that 

 he should give his mind prolonged rest, and agreed 



