f the face, and many other affections, some of the more
important of which we will mention in detail, are his constant
companions.

_Epilepsy_.--This disease has been traced to the vile habit under
consideration in so many cases that it is now very certain that in many
instances this is its origin. It is of frequent occurrence in those
who have indulged in solitary vice or any other form of sexual excess.
We have seen several cases of this kind.

Failure of Special Senses.--Dimness of vision, amaurosis, spots before
the eyes, with other forms of ocular weakness, are common results of
this vice. The same degeneration and premature failure occur in the
organs of hearing. In fact, sensibility of all the senses becomes in
some measure diminished in old cases.

Spinal Irritation.--Irritation of the spinal cord, with its resultant
evils, is one of the most common of the nervous affections originating
in this cause. Tenderness of the spine, numerous pains in the limbs,
and spasmodic twitching of the muscles, are some of its results.
Paralysis, partial or complete, of the lower limbs, and even of the
whole body, is not a rare occurrence. We have seen two cases in which
this was well marked. Both patients were small boys and began to excite
the genital organs at a very early age. In one, the paralytic condition
was complete when he was held erect. The head fell forward, the arms
and limbs hung down helpless, the eyes rolled upward, and the saliva
dribbled from his mouth. When lying flat upon his back, he had
considerable control of his limbs. In this case, a condition of priapism
seems to have existed almost from birth, owing to congenital phimosis.
His condition was somewhat improved by circumcision. In the other case,
in which phimosis also existed, there was paralysis of a few of the
muscles of the leg, which produced club-foot. Circumcision was also
performed in this case and the child returned in a few weeks completely
cured, without any other application, though it had previously been
treated in a great variety of ways without success, all the usual
remedies for club-foot proving ineffectual. Both of these cases
appeared in the clinic of Dr. Sayre at Bellevue Hospital, and were
operated upon by him.

We have recently observed several cases of spinal disease which could
be traced to no origin but masturbation. Two patients were small boys,
naturally quite intelligent. They manifested all the peculiarities of
loco-motor