During a paroxysm the patient frequently screams in agony and rolls about upon the bed or the floor. Temporary relief may be obtained by leaning upon a pillow placed upon the back of a chair. The relief afforded by such procedure is also strongly in favour of the vaso-motor origin of the pain. During the spasm the abdomen is retracted, and fibrillary twitching of the abdominal parietes may often be seen; a constant desire to go to stool is generally present, but only results in straining and, perhaps, the passage of a little mucus and blood. Vomiting is often associated with this stage, and the patient frequently vomits a considerable amount of thick, tenacious mucus. The vomit is not uncommonly regarded by the patient as composed of white lead, if he has been working in that industry. Tanquerel in 1,217 cases noted vomiting 400 times, and marked retraction of the abdomen 649 times. Occasionally the patient complains of a sense of great weight in the abdomen, particularly in the intervals between the spasms of pain. During the exacerbations of colic very marked diminution in the pulse-rate takes place, a fact that has already been referred to in the section dealing with vaso-motor disturbances. The pulse may be as low as 20 beats per minute, but it varies generally between 40 and 50 per minute. Very occasionally the first stage of colic is associated with a slight rise of temperature. This must be regarded as an intercurrent affection rather than as one definitely associated with lead poisoning. Probably in such circumstances a gastritis other than the lead vaso-motor colic is the reason for the elevation of temperature, but it may confuse the diagnosis, suggesting rather an acute gastritis than lead colic. Under normal conditions the temperature falls during the colic, the extremities are cold, and the body is covered with a moist perspiration, the temperature dropping to 96°, and even lower. On palpating the abdomen during these acute exacerbations, it is found that not only the gastric region, but the whole of the abdomen, is affected. Occasionally the acute pain is referred to the navel, but generally to the lower region of the abdomen; and very frequently the pain is described as running down into the scrotum, whilst there may also be pain complained of as far as the knee-joint, but this last is unusual. There may or may not be well-marked peristalsis taking place, but quite commonly large hardened tumours can be felt in various situations in the abdomen, corresponding to the contracted intestinal walls. Shifting tumours, then, may be regarded rather as a diagnostic sign of the acute forms of lead colic.