accompanying them are merely symptoms of a disordered body; that these complaints can in most cases be traced in their progressive march from bad to worse, unequal as their steps may sometimes be, even to their termination, as clearly as most other chronic diseases; and that few maladies are more difficult to cure than these. We state their We state their beginning in the majority of instances to be indigestion; or, as it is fashionably termed, dyspepsia, a term, by the way, too limited to designate the Protean forms of these diseases in their more advanced stages. This imperfect digestion

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It is a fact worthy of notice, that physicians have never yet been able to invent any name for nervous maladies, that convey any just notions of their nature: all their multiform titles, in medical as well as common language, expressing merely one or more of the symptoms." Of all these designations," says Dr. Johnson, "Indigestion has been the most hackneyed title, and it is in my opinion, the most erroneous. The very worst forms of the disease," (ex. gr. hypochondriasis and melancholy,) "forms which the body is tortured for years, and the mind ultimately wrecked, often exhibit no sign or proof of indigestion; the appetite being good, the digestion complete, and the alvine evacuations natural. Nearly the same objection lies against the term dyspepsia, or difficult digestion. The train of symptoms exhibited in indigestion, or dyspepsia, is only one feature, (a very common one I grant,) of the Protean malady under consideration; and by no means the most distressing one. The term hypochondriasis conveys no just idea of the nature of the disease, though a group of some of its more common phenomena is usually understood by that term. Many of the most exquisite specimens of hypochondiracism are unattended with indigestion. The mind is affected no doubt; but only in a secondary manner. Bilious disorder is a term equally vague and equally erroneneous as the others. Derangement of the biliary secretion is a frequent concomitant, perhaps a frequent cause or consequence of the malady, but it is by no means always present, and when present it is only one feature of the disease, and does not constitute its nature or essence. Of the various other designations, as

must of course affect the whole system, and if suffered to continue its deleterious influence, as it too frequently is, the secretions become greatly impaired, the liver, especially, is disordered, inducing the whole train of bilious complaints. In the early stages of the disease, when indigestion forms its worst feature, well regulated exercise and freedom from corroding cares and passions, will usually restore the tone of the system. But when the bilious system becomes much affected, the complaint puts on a more threatening and obstinate form and is not easily subdued. It now advances with a more rapid step towards its termination. Its next attack is frequently upon one of the three grand centres of life, the heart, the brain, or the lungs. Fatal diseases of the heart do not so frequently result from this cause; yet angina pectoris, ossification, and cardi hepatic diseases, are sometimes thus induced. When the brain is thus attacked, apoplexy of the worst kind, epilepsy, dropsy of the brain, and palsy, not unfrequently end the scene. A disease of the lungs, however, either habitual asthma, or the pulmonary consumption, (technically called dyspeptic phthisis,) is the most frequent termination of the dyspeptic's protracted sufferings.

But there are other important organs besides the three abové mentioned, that often become the seat

spleen, vapours, melancholy, nervousness, irritability, mental despondency,&c.I need only say that they are forms or features of a disorder that assumes almost all forms. Hence my sagacious friend, Dr. Marshall Hall, not inaptly applied to this class, the generic name Mimoses or imitators; an appellation which is very significant, but which, of course conveys no idea of the nature of the malady."-Essay on the Morbid Sensibility of the Stomach and Bowels, p. 53. The title of this work shows that Dr. Johnson has added another, to the long list of names, applied to these disorders. With what success we leave to the profession to decide.

of fatal diseases induced by nervous maladies. In one case inflammation of the liver comes on; in another, dropsy, in another, gravel, in another, colick, and in some cases where no particular organ is attacked, the patient sinks under universal debility. Indeed, we might swell this list till it should comprehend a plurality of the diseases to which the human frame is liable. "It (disorder in the digestive organs,) may produce," says Mr. Abernethy, "in the nervous system, a diminution of the functions of the brain, or a state of excitation causing delirium; partial nervous inactivity and insensibility, or the opposite state of irritation and pain. It may produce, in the muscular system, weakness, tremors, and palsy; or the contrary affecttions of spasm and convulsions. It may excite fever, by disturbing the action of the sanguiferous system; and cause various local diseases, by the nervous irritation which it produces and by the weakness which is consequent on nervous disor der or imperfect chylification. Or if local diseases occur in a constitution deranged in the manner which I have described, they will become peculiar in their nature and progress, and difficult of cure" "Patients," says Dr. Whytt, after having been long afflicted with many of these symptons, sometimes fall into melancholy, madness, the black jaundice, dropsy, tympany, phthisis pulmonalis, palsy, apoplexy, or some other fatal disorder."

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It is not, however, always the case, that nervous disorders commence in what are usually called the digestive organs. The liver is not unfrequently the original seat of the disease. In such a case the digestive organs cannot long remain unaffected; when we have at once, the combined affection of these different parts, which simple dyspepsia would be long in produ

cing. And then the disorder goes on, in the manner we have described, to its termination. Sometimes too, as in some cases of hypochondriasis and melancholy, neither the digestive nor biliary organs suffer much: but the seat of the complaint appears to be in the nerves themselves.

For proof of the correctness of this general view of the nature, progress, and consequences, of nervous diseases, we refer to the modern standard works that treat of these complaints. Let any one read such works as Philip on Indigestion, Johnson on the Derangement of the Liver, and Hall on the Mimoses, or Trotter on the Nervous Temperament, and he cannot suppose that the statement above given is exaggerated. Indeed, so far as we have examined, without pretending to a professional knowledge of the subject, we have met with no respectable medical writer, of modern times, who does not give a view of this subject essentially coinciding with that above expressed.

If these views are correct, we see the error of a very prevalent opinion, that dyspeptics should not be encouraged or permitted, to read medical works. The objection is, that they will fancy themselves to be labouring under every disease of which they read a description. We are aware that something of this kind has sometimes happened, even to a ludicrous extent.

But the mistake results from ignorance. The person does not know the disorder under which he labours. Let then, some experienced friend inform the young dyзpeptic of the real nature of his complaint, and direct him to the most approved treatises on the subject. He will not then be so liable to imagine that every slight pain he feels is the attack of some terrific and immediately fatal disease. He will learn, that although he has a malady upon him, that may, if not

cured, terminate fatally: yet, that it is usually one of the slowest of disorders in its progress, and apt to produce needless apprehensions in the patient. And, what is of more consequence, he will learn the proper mode of treating his complaint so as to effect a cure. He will find that this does not consist in a perpetual round of emetics and cathartics, to which dyspeptics usually resort, but rather in well regulated exercise, in rigid temperance, and in freedom from violent emotions and restless passions. Can it be possible the nervous invalid should not profit by such information as this? Must it not tend to lessen, instead of increasing, his unreasonable apprehensions? We do not believe in the reputed efficacy of ignorance, in healing the disorders of the body, any more than in curing the maladies of the mind. We believe, that many a man, by remaining ignorant of the nature and proper treatment of his complaints, has suffered nervous affections to fix themselves so firmly in his constitution, that no skill could eradicate them: and, if we mistake not, the church, from this very cause, is now mourning over not a few of her most valuable ministers, the early victims of these insidious disorders.

We have alluded to the fact, that persons of a disordered nervous temperament occasionally fancy themselves attacked by almost every species of disease. This is generally supposed to be an idle and utterly groundless fear. But let us see whether justice is done to the dyspeptic by the ridicule that is commonly cast upon his apprehensions. The extract we have made from the writings of Mr. Abernethy, proves the constant tendency of nervous diseases to other more severe and dangerous complaints. We quote another remark from Dr. Philip, a witness of the highest authority, more directly to

the point." It is well known," says he, "that nervous affections will, if I may use the expression, mimic the symptoms of almost every disease, but it does not seem to be generally admitted, though I think we have sufficient proof of the fact, that if this mimic disease be kept up for a certain length of time, it will be converted into the real disease, let the cause which produced it be what it may." To the same effect is the following from Dr. Trotter. "I have foreborne" says he, "to mention many of those idle stories, which some authors take delight in telling, as the effect of extravagant illusions of fancy, which nervous people are said to be subject to. I hold their whole complaints to have a real existence, &c." Take also the following, from the very able work of Dr. James Johnson, "On Derangement of the Liver, Internal Organs, and Nervous System." "Those symptoms denominated nervous” says he, are so irregular and anomalous, that it is exceedingly difficult to embody them in a connected view, or even to enumerate them; in fact, they unite with the greatest exactness, the symptoms of almost every other disease; and there are few chronic derangements, whether of function or of structure, with which they are not more or less blended or associated. Their principal force, however, is in the line of the digestive organs, from which they appear to radicate in every direction, to the various other organs and tissues throughout the body."-" So closely do the nervous, or sympathetic, imitate organic derangements, that medical men themselves are often deceived by the similitude, and how much more prone to error must the hypochondriac be, whose whole nervous system is unpoised; where the sensations are conveyed to the sensorium irregularly, and there make the most exaggerated impressions."

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The truth is, after these complaints have made a certain progress, there is a constant tendency in the system towards the organic disease; that is, such disease as will destroy the structure of some particular organ, and may prove fatal; and this tendency appears to be directed sometimes towards one organ, and sometimes towards another. We have often regarded the constitution of the dyspeptic, as a besieged citadel. To day, the enemy pushes his assault against one point; and to-morrow against another; always selecting, if he can, the weakest. At one time his whole energies are directed against the heart, and then appear palpitation, dysphoea, and the symptoms of angina pectoris. At another time he assaults the brain; and then come on the premonitions of delirium, epilepsy, palsy, and apoplexy. When the lungs are assailed, the cough, the hectic, and the laborious breathing of asthma and consumption succeed. Resisted by these organs, others are beset, and the symptoms of correspondent diseases appear. So long as there is energy enough in the constitution to repel these assaults, the threatening symptoms of the several diseases gradually disappear; and thus give rise to the opinion that all was merely the illusion of imagination. But worn out at length by long protracted resistance, some one point gives way and speedily the whole city is laid in ruins.

While, therefore, we admit that the nervous invalid is prone to unreasonable alarins, and often mistakes the symptoms of disease, we must admit also, that he labours under at least the mimic symptoms of many of the most terrible disorders to which the human frame is subject. We appeal, therefore, to the moral sense of our readers, whether it is right to treat all his apprehensions as mere phantasms of the brain.

There is another respect in which

we believe too severe judgment is passed upon nervous people. We refer to their fickleness: particularly in regard to the remedies they employ for their disorders. They are very apt to find out a great many specifics; medicines or modes of treatment, that are working wonders in their behalf. But let a month or two, or, at most, a year pass away, and you hear no more of the medicine whose efficacy was so enthusiastically sounded: for a new favourite has succeeded to the old, to be displaced ere long by another, and this by a third, and so on to the

end of life.

Now these so frequent changes of opinion, are usually regarded as altogether the result of unreasonable inconsistency, and thought to be a lawful mark for the shafts of wit and ridicule. But we believe that this peculiar conduct is not wholly to be imputed to mere nervous fickleness, although we do not deny that this is one of the symptoms of these complaints. But it is also a characteristic of nervous disorders, to be continually changing their aspect and their points of attack. They usually begin, as we have already stated, in the digestive organs; but they ere long reach every part of the system, exhibiting new symptoms, and requiring new methods of treatment at almost every change. In every stage of the disease,' says Dr. Philip, "there is endless variety, and the more nearly it approaches to its fatal termination, the more its different cases assume the appearance of disease, which have nothing in common. In regard to the remedies to be employed in the different stages, he remarks: "In the first stage, the debility of the nervous

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*We are aware, that all physicians do not believe there are three stages of indigestion, so distinctly marked, as Dr. Philip represents; but we believe all admit "the progressive march of the disorder," and the ever varying character of its symptoms.