herwise would
be most interesting. A mother loses interest in her children, a man in
his business, and so on. Students, and children overpressed at lessons,
are apt to suffer from it. It is simply the result of a drain of energy
from the system, until the brain has an insufficient supply. Those who
have the care of the young would do well to watch carefully against
this state coming on. If it appears, all work should be given up, and
as much play take its place as possible. No cramming of ideas into a
weakening mind can ever be equal to the possession of health and
energy, as a preparation for life.

Treatment should be such as to restore energy. The whole back should be
fomented with a large blanket fomentation, being rubbed with olive oil
before and after. Let this be done for an hour in the morning; in the
evening give the ARMCHAIR FOMENTATION (_see_). Carry this on for a
week, and then rest for another week, only rubbing the back with a
little hot olive oil each night. Cultivate open-air life; sleep as much
as possible--eight hours at least, or better nine. Carefully prepared
and easily digested food should be given, and change of company, scene,
and climate are most effective helps; but rest from work is the chief
matter. _See_ Restlessness and Worry.

Diabetes.--There are two more or less distinct stages of this serious
trouble; the first stage is generally curable, the second stage
generally incurable. Yet good natural means of cure will very much
alleviate even the incurable stage. The earlier as well as the later
stages are marked by extreme _thirst_. This, in the case of some poor
sufferers, is enormous. Gallons of water are taken, and the more is
taken the more is wanted. But this thirst is not the effect of heat, as
fever thirst is. It cannot be quenched by means of cold cloths often
changed over the stomach, as fever thirst can. A sufferer in this
disease will set a large pitcher down at the bedside to serve for the
night, and drink it all before morning; but there is no extra heat
anywhere to account for this. The thirst is more like that which is
caused by eating very salt food. It points to the character of the
juices which are affecting the stomach, and not to any heated condition
of the stomach itself. The drinking is a desperate effort to dilute
these juices; and, at least by cold water, that cannot be done. A
wineglassful of hot water taken every ten minutes for an hour, or two
hours, or three, o