The brain-tissue from which the sections used for these illustrations were made was hardened by Hamilton's process, which, when carefully carried out, secures firmness of substance without brittleness, and a minimum amount of shrinking.

It has been said by some astute critic that “insanity has no pathology,” but it would be a nearer approach to scientific truth if he had said that, with our present imperfect means of investigation, there are many cases of insanity in which no pathological changes can be discovered as the cause of the mental phenomena. The microscope, for example, has as yet failed to differentiate the delicate alterations in the protoplasm of the cerebral cells which result in an outburst of maniacal excitement; nevertheless, the ophthalmoscope shows changes in the vascular supply of the brain in many such cases, and, with the aid of the sphygmograph, light has been thrown on many hitherto obscure conditions of the circulation.

I have chosen this title as inferring as little as possible any relation other than that of time between the states of disorder. Night follows day, but is not caused by it, and, as we shall see, in some cases one form of nervous disorder is followed by another form of disorder, both having probably a similar cause, but not the one depending on the other as its cause. It is only necessary to say that I use the term neurosis in a very general way, thereby meaning any well recognized disturbance of the nervous system which might be considered due to direct inheritance, or might itself start a morbid nervous series.

It is not proposed that the time of this meeting should be taken up by a monologue of mine in the shape of a set paper. I intend only to mark out the ground which can be profitably covered, and after dealing myself with one or two of the questions raised, I shall leave the remainder to other members present. After that it is hoped that there will follow a general discussion commensurate with the importance of the subject.

We publish the completed returns of the inquiry made through a circular signed by Drs. J. A. Campbell, Clouston, Butherford, and myself, with a view to ascertain the number of idiots and imbeciles in lunatic asylums and workhouses in England and Wales, as explained in the postscript to the paper “On the Admission of Idiotic and Imbecile Children into Lunatic Asylums,” in the July number of the Journal.