Mrs. X—, a widow, æt. 28, was recently admitted to Graylingwell Hospital as a voluntary patient.

Family history as far as could be made out was negative.

Past history and personality.—She was described as a cheerful, steady girl, who had married at 21, and had unfortunately lost her husband some few months after marriage. More recently she appeared to be somewhat unstable emotionally and, in spite of serious organic disorder, had been energetic and over-active in her pleasures and amusements, and had taken alcohol freely. There was no previous history of “nervous breakdown”, fits or paralysis. Eighteen months ago she had a severe attack of rheumatic fever with endocarditis, and about six weeks before admission had an attack of “influenza”.