As he advanced in life, the disposition to disorder of the digestive organs, which had hitherto shown a tendency to terminate in inflammation of the mucous membrane of the throat, began to affect other structures; and he became teazed and subsequently greatly tortured by rheumatism. The disorder so termed (a kind of general name for various conditions of disorder very different from each other, and which occasionally affect, not only joints, but other structures) is in many cases, as we all know, extremely painful; and is never more excruciating than when muscular parts thus conditioned are affected by spasm. These spasms were a source of much acute suffering to Abernethy. His constant occupations gave him no opportunity of relieving himself from work, except there was that accommodation of indisposition to convenient times, which of course seldom happens. In the early parts of his life, Abernethy, when he was out of health, would take the first opportunity which his occupations allowed of going a little way into the country; and there, by diet, and amusing himself by reading and exercise, he would soon get well. But as he advanced in life, he was not so ready to attend to himself as perhaps he ought to have been. Besides, he would occasionally do things which incurred unnecessary risks, which we ourselves have sometimes ventured to mention to him. Living, at the time to which we are now alluding, in Ely Place, and attending his lectures long after we had commenced practice, we frequently walked down with him to lecture; sometimes in the rain, when we used to think his knee-breeches and silk stockings looked most uncomfortable. Besides this, he was very careless about his umbrella; I never recollect him on such occasions calling a coach, and I hardly ever knew him come down to his evening lecture in his carriage. He generally came to the two-o'clock lecture some minutes before the time; and, as he often complained of cold feet, he would stand opposite one of the flue openings in the Museum. One day, I ventured to suggest to him that the transition of temperature to the cold place he occupied in the theatre rendered this hardly prudent, when he said, "Ay!" and moved away. Though temperate, without being very particular in his diet, these other imprudences were unfortunate; because we saw him, every year almost, becoming troubled more and more by his painful visitor. The time, however, was now arriving when he was about to resign the Surgeoncy of the hospital.