ages and cavities communicating therewith. The membranes
of these passages throw out a thin, watery, irritating discharge, which
gradually thickens and becomes pus-like and offensive in character, if
the disease continues.

Poisonous matters are absorbed from the affected surfaces into the
blood. These poisons, circulating in the blood, produce great irritation
of the nerve cells, so much so, that the severity of the attack is felt
in the nervous centres, the brain and spinal cord, with pain varying
from the most acute and sharp, to a dull, numb ache. The temples, eyes,
neck and small of the back, are in their order, the usual locations of
greatest pain. Such attacks vary in frequency and severity. One attack
is usually followed by an early recurrence, which may be more or less
severe, while the period of active pain varies from a few hours to
several days. Such attacks leave an exhausted state of the nerve centres
and general weakness of the system that often lasts for weeks and may
permanently impair the system, except such results be prevented by
appropriate treatment. Every recurrence of the attack leaves the system
in a worse condition, until profound nervous prostration; ensues.

Malarial headache, sometimes termed "brow ague," is a common form of the
malady with those residing in malarial regions. The pain rapidly
develops, usually over one eye. It lasts from five to ten hours, and is
often of frightful intensity.

Other forms are rheumatic and gouty headache; usually a heavy aching
pain appearing on the approach of storms, but at times almost
continuous, made worse by improper diet.

Uraemic headache is due to kidney disease, and alcoholic to direct
irritation of the brain membranes from the use of alcoholic beverages.
The latter is accompanied with much irritation of the stomach and
intestines.

Headaches of a similar character result from the presence in the blood
of an excess of the active principles of coffee and tea.

Overindulgence in these agents, as with alcohol, affects the nerve cells
and membranes, often causing severe attacks of headache.

Nervous headache is another common affliction. This seems to arise from
several causes, such as impoverished blood and exhaustion from overwork
of the brain. Hysterical headache is not uncommon. There is a severe
kind of headache, the attacks of which appear first at early puberty and
continue at intervals more or less frequent in women up to the change of