ant stream of
pleasurable ideas succeeds, and produces pleasurable delirium. So when the
sensorial power of volition excites agreeable ideas, and the pleasure thus
produced excites more volition in its turn, a constant flow of agreeable
voluntary ideas succeeds; which when thus exerted in the extreme
constitutes insanity.

Thus when our muscular actions are excited by our sensations of pleasure,
it is termed play; when they are excited by our volition, it is termed
work; and the former of these is attended with less fatigue, because the
muscular actions in play produce in their turn more pleasurable sensation;
which again has the property of producing more muscular action. An
agreeable instance of this I saw this morning. A little boy, who was tired
with walking, begged of his papa to carry him. "Here," says the reverend
doctor, "ride upon my gold-headed cane;" and the pleased child, putting it
between his legs, gallopped away with delight, and complained no more of
his fatigue. Here the aid of another sensorial power, that of pleasurable
sensation, superadded vigour to the exertion of exhausted volition. Which
could otherwise only have been excited by additional pain, as by the lash
of slavery. On this account where the whole sensorial power has been
exerted on the contemplation of the promised joys of heaven, the saints of
all persecuted religions have borne the tortures of martyrdom with
otherwise unaccountable firmness.

7. There are some diseases, which obtain at least a temporary relief from
the exertions of insanity; many instances of dropsies being thus for a time
cured are recorded. An elderly woman labouring with ascites I twice saw
relieved for some weeks by insanity, the dropsy ceased for several weeks,
and recurred again alternating with the insanity. A man afflicted with
difficult respiration on lying down, with very irregular pulse, and
oedematous legs, whom I saw this day, has for above a week been much
relieved in respect to all those symptoms by the accession of insanity,
which is shewn by inordinate suspicion, and great anger.

In cases of common temporary anger the increased action of the arterial
system is seen by the red skin, and increased pulse, with the immediate
increase of muscular activity. A friend of mine, when he was painfully
fatigued by riding on horseback, was accustomed to call up ideas into his
mind, which used to excite his anger or indignation, and thus for a time at
least relieve