ental condition of a victim
of this vice cannot be better described than is done in the following
paragraphs by one himself a victim, though few of these unfortunate
individuals would be able to produce so accurate and critical a portrait
of themselves as is here drawn by M. Rousseau, as quoted by Mr. Acton:--

"One might say that my heart and my mind do not belong to the same person.
My feelings, quicker than lightning, fill my soul; but instead of
illuminating, they burn and dazzle me. I feel everything. I see nothing.
I am excited, but stupid; I cannot think except in cold blood. The
wonderful thing is that I have sound enough tact, penetration, even
_finesse_, if people will wait for me. I make excellent impromptus at
leisure; but at the moment I have nothing ready to say or do. I should
converse brilliantly by post, as they say the Spaniards play at chess.
When I read of a Duke of Savoy who turned back after starting on his
journey to say, 'In your teeth! you Paris shop-keeper!' I said, 'That
is like me!'"

"But not only is it a labor to me to express, but also to receive, ideas.
I have studied men, and I think I am a tolerably good observer; yet
I can see nothing of what I do see. I can hardly say that I see anything
except what I recall; I have no power of mind but in my recollection.
Of all that is said, of all that is done, of all that passes in my
presence, I feel nothing, I appreciate nothing. The external sign is
all that strikes me. But after a while it all comes back to me."

EFFECTS IN FEMALES.

Local Effects.--The local diseases produced by the vice in females are,
of course, of a different nature from those seen in males, on account
of the difference in organization. They arise, however, in the same
way, congestions at first temporary ultimately becoming permanent and
resulting in irritation and various disorders.

Leucorrhoea.--The results of congestion first appear in the mucous
membrane lining the vagina, which is also injured by mechanical
irritation, and consists of a catarrhal discharge which enervates the
system. By degrees the discharge increases in quantity and virulence,
extending backward until it reaches the sensitive womb.

Contact with the acrid, irritating secretions of the vagina produces
soreness of the fingers at the roots of the nails, and also frequently
causes warts upon the fingers. Hence the value of these signs, as
previously mentioned.

Uterine Disease.--Congestion of