1790 976 1874 TO THE READER. I AM encouraged by the reception which has been accorded to my previous papers on the subject of mind-troubles, by the press, the public, and the profession, to adventure a further selection. I would only ask the scientific reader, if any such should honor this little volume by his notice, to remember that these essays, like those which have preceded them, were not written for persons who have professionally investigated the phenomena of which they treat. The sole purpose has been to seize on a few salient difficulties and grapple with them, in the interests of self-help. The key-note of the theme is the presumption that there is often-if not generally-a stage of conscious embarrassment preceding mental derangement or mind weakness, and while this |