W. E., an electrical engineer, aged 48, married, was born in Pennsylvania, and lived in a temperate zone all his life. His wife and two children, a youth, aged 20 years, and a girl, 15 years, were living and well. His father died at 74, from arteriosclerosis, his mother at 80, from general senility. He had one brother living and well, aged 73. Two brothers were dead; one died at 52, from cirrhosis of the liver, one at 48 years, as a result of an accident (head injury). Two sisters were living and well at the ages of 58 and 62; there were none dead. There were no mental or nervous diseases, tuberculosis or malignant conditions in the immediate family.
The patient had the usual diseases of childhood but did not remember any of them. He did not have scarlet fever, typhoid, chorea, rheumatism, dysentery, bronchitis or tonsilitis. He had