Case I.—Mr. ——, age 20, of sound constitution and without {129} marked hereditary tendency to disease, although several members of his family are people of very little force. The patient had masturbated in college, as many boys do, and was compelled to give up his studies upon his father's failure in business. An attack of slowly-advancing melancholia developed, for which he was sent to the farm of a relative in the South without improvement, so that he returned home at the end of a year in pronounced acute melancholia. He secreted himself in a marsh not far from home, where he was by accident found bleeding freely from the radial artery, which he had cut to kill himself. He had the usual delusions of the disease. He thought the world was all wrong, that he had committed great crimes—the unpardonable sin—and that there was nothing but destruction before him and his family. He was desperately suicidal. The circumstances giving rise to his disease and the associations of his delusions were entirely connected with his home and members of his family. His people could not afford to hire a nurse, but his three brothers and one cousin were only partly employed, and they agreed to take care of him. The treatment was tonic and supporting, with plenty of sleep, food and outdoor exercise, with careful attention to daily details of life, arranging it as to amusements, occupation, etc. etc. from day to day to suit his condition, and with absolute watchfulness day and night to prevent suicide. He remained in the home where his disease arose, and he was taken care of by the people most actively associated with his delusions. He made a rapid and perfect recovery, and is now very successful in his work as a professional man. Case II.—Miss ——, age 35, a sound, healthy woman, without any known hereditary predisposition to disease. Without any assignable cause, except a moderate amount of overwork and steady home-life without sufficient recreation, she became very ill with acute melancholia, much mental confusion, very varied delusions that the world was all wrong, her friends distorted and changed, and herself so great a sinner that she could not escape everlasting damnation. Her most constant and distressing delusion was that people were constantly lying in wait to kill her and her mother and her sisters. When I saw her she was taking large quantities of hydrate of chloral and bromide of potassium, which were at once stopped. With plenty of food, fresh air, exercise, rest, malt, and cod-liver oil she slept well. She was first put under the care of a professional nurse, who was not liked by the family, and I then decided to let the mother and sisters assume full charge. She was watched with unremitting care day and night, and yet managed to make three attempts at suicide, which of course were not successful. She made a rapid and most perfect recovery, and is still perfectly well.