Erasmus Darwin

“ Women miscarry much more frequently from a fright, than from bodily injury. A torpor or retrograde motion of the capillary arteries of the internal uterus is probably the immediate cause of these miscarriages, owing to the association of the actions of those vessels with the capillaries of the skin, which are rendered torpid or retrograde by fear. ”

“ The remote cause is the torpor of the skin owing to its reverse sympathy with the painful sensual motions, or ideas, of fear; which are now actuated with great energy, so as to deprive the second link of associated motions of their due share of sensorial power. ”

“ At the same time the absorbents of the skin, and of the bladder, and of the intestines, sometimes become retrograde, and regurgitate their contents; as appears by the pale urine in large quantities, which attends hysteric complaints along with this palpitation of the heart; and from the cold sweats, and diarrhœa; all which, as well as the hysteric complaints, are liable to be induced or attended by fear. ”

“ In this case the great exertion of some small part in consequence of great irritation or sensation exhausts the whole sensorial power, which was lodged in the extremities of the locomotive nerves, for a short time, as in syncope; and as soon as these muscles are again supplied, convulsions supervene to relieve the painful sensation. ”

“ Some delicate ladies are liable to fall into hysteric fits from sudden fright. The peristaltic motions of the bowels and stomach, and those of the œsophagus, make a part of the great circle of irritative motions with those of the skin, and many other membranes. ”

“ When the absorbents of the intestines are stimulated too strongly by spirit of wine, as in the beginning of drunkenness, the urinary absorbents invert their motions. The same happens from worms in the intestines. In other kinds of diabetes may not the remote cause be the too strong action of the cutaneous absorbents, or of the pulmonary ones? ”

“ There was no shuddering produced, because the lungs are not sensible to heat and cold; as any one may observe by going from a warm room into a frosty air, and the contrary. So the steam of hot tea, which scalds the mouth, does not affect the lungs with the sensation of heat. ”

“ By this contraction of the uterine arteries, the fine vessels of the placenta, which are inserted into them, are detruded, or otherwise so affected, that the placenta separates at this time from the uterus, and the fetus dies from want of oxygenation. A strong young woman, in the fifth or sixth month of her pregnancy, who has since borne many children, went into her cellar to draw beer ”

“ The motions of the absorbent vessels of the neck of the bladder become inverted by their consent with those of the skin; which are become torpid by their reverse sympathy with the painful ideas of fear, as in Sect. ”