on Muscular Motion. 
5 
actions with which every one is familiar, and show that these 
muscles are liable to be affected in the same manner as the 
muscles of the eye. 
A gentleman, forty-six years of age, naturally of an irritable 
habit, which had been much increased by a long residence in the 
East Indies, was, about eight years ago, in a situation of great 
responsibility in that country. He was much engaged in 
writing, and previous to the sailing of a vessel for England, 
had, with a view to finish some dispatches of importance, writ- 
ten incessantly for a great many hours ; the immediate effects 
of this exertion were simply fatigue, and stiffness in the mus- 
cles ; but when he again attempted to employ the muscles in 
that action, he felt a nervous pain in the fore-arm, which was 
so severe as to oblige him to desist. This pain gave him con- 
siderable alarm, from the notion of its being of a paralytic 
nature, and many attempts were made to remove it. Recourse 
was had to electricity, and several other stimulating applica- 
tions ; but these always aggravated the symptoms, and they 
still continue. The circumstance in this case which is peculi- 
arly applicable to my present purpose is, that the pain is only 
felt in the act of writing, the common motions of the fingers 
and thumb not giving the smallest uneasiness. 
A gentleman about forty-six years of age, of a very irritable 
constitution, who had been in the habit of dealing cards for 
whole evenings together, was engaged in this employment one 
night for six hours ; the weather was very warm, and he walked 
home in a state of perspiration, and went to bed. The window 
of his apartment, which faced the north, and was directly op- 
posite to the foot of the bed, had been left open; the bed cur- 
tains were also undrawn. In the course of the night there was 
