could not smell; another was dumb from an explosion.
In fact, every one had his own abnormal peculiarity. Near me was a
strange case of palsy of the muscles called rhomboids, whose office it
is to hold down the shoulder-blades flat on the back during the motions
of the arms, which, in themselves, were strong enough. When, however, he
lifted these members, the shoulder-blades stood out from the back like
wings, and got him the sobriquet of the "Angel." In my ward were also
the cases of fits, which very much annoyed me, as upon any great change
in the weather it was common to have a dozen convulsions in view at
once. Dr. Neek, one of our physicians, told me that on one occasion
a hundred and fifty fits took place within thirty-six hours. On my
complaining of these sights, whence I alone could not fly, I was placed
in the paralytic and wound ward, which I found much more pleasant.

A month of skilful treatment eased me entirely of my aches, and I then
began to experience certain curious feelings, upon which, having nothing
to do and nothing to do anything with, I reflected a good deal. It was
a good while before I could correctly explain to my own satisfaction
the phenomena which at this time I was called upon to observe. By the
various operations already described I had lost about four fifths of my
weight. As a consequence of this I ate much less than usual, and could
scarcely have consumed the ration of a soldier. I slept also but little;
for, as sleep is the repose of the brain, made necessary by the waste
of its tissues during thought and voluntary movement, and as this latter
did not exist in my case, I needed only that rest which was necessary to
repair such exhaustion of the nerve-centers as was induced by thinking
and the automatic movements of the viscera.

I observed at this time also that my heart, in place of beating, as it
once did, seventy-eight in the minute, pulsated only forty-five times in
this interval--a fact to be easily explained by the perfect quiescence
to which I was reduced, and the consequent absence of that healthy and
constant stimulus to the muscles of the heart which exercise occasions.

Notwithstanding these drawbacks, my physical health was good, which, I
confess, surprised me, for this among other reasons: It is said that a
burn of two thirds of the surface destroys life, because then all the
excretory matters which this portion of the glands of the skin evolved
are thrown upon the blood