y gently and kindly hold the patient, while a third presses on the
cooling cloths. In about half-an-hour the fit should be overcome. A
difficulty in treating such cases is the terrifying effect of the
violent movements, or unconsciousness; but these should not create
fear. As a rule, a little patience and treatment as above remove all
distress. Where there is a hysterical tendency, give abundance of good
food, and let the patient live as much in the open-air as possible.

The patient should be kept employed. God made us all to be workers, and
this sad affliction is frequently the punishment of idleness. No one
has any excuse for this, for the world is full of those who are
overworked and whose burden could be lightened. The girl whose only
task is to exchange her armful of novels at the library will never know
what true happiness is, nor deserve to. _See_ Imaginary Troubles.

Illness, The Root of.--In treating any trouble it is well to get to the
root of it. On one occasion a patient complained that the doctor never
struck at the _root_ of his illness. The doctor lifted his
walking-stick and smashed the brandy bottle which stood on the table,
remarking that his patient would not have to say that again. This will
illustrate what we mean. Liquor drinking must be given up: it is the
root of multitudinous ills; so must excessive tea drinking. Tobacco is
one of the most insidious of poisons in its effects on the nerves, and
is to be absolutely given up if a cure is expected in nervous cases.
Chloral, laudanum, and opium in other forms, may give temporary relief;
but they are deadly poisons, paralysing the nerves and ultimately
completely wrecking the system. The continued use of digitalis for
heart disease is a dreadful danger. We mention these by name as most
common, to illustrate the truth that it is vain to treat a patient
while the _cause_ of his illness is allowed to act. If any evil habit
of indulgence has given rise to trouble, that habit must be given up; a
hard fight may have to be fought, but the victory is sure to those who
persevere. Often dangerous symptoms appear, but these must be faced: to
relieve them by a return to drugs is to fasten the chains more surely
on the patient. It is better to suffer a little than to be all one's
life a slave.

Imaginary Troubles.--These are of two kinds, the one purely imaginary,
the other where bodily trouble is mixed with the imagined. In the first
case the patient is in