Psychological inquiries : in a series of essays, intended to illustrate the mutual relations of the physical organization and the mental faculties / [Sir. Benjamin Brodie].

Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Psychological inquiries : in a series of essays, intended to illustrate the mutual relations of the physical organization and the mental faculties / [Sir. Benjamin Brodie]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    established here that I made the discovery that it was necessary to my happiness that I should provide some new occupation for myself; and I succeeded in doing so. To those who have been brought up in idleness, a life of leisure is bad enough; and hence we find that the more ener- getic among them are glad to exchange it for some kind of active pursuit—politics, travelling, field- sports, horse-racing, gambling, accordingly as them natural tastes and accidental circumstances give one or another direction to their minds. The vulgar phrase of killing time very aptly expresses the feelings of many on this subject. But if a life of leisure be painful to such per- sons, what must it be to one like you or me, who have advanced beyond the middle period of life, without having had any experience of it? This is no speculative inquiry; it may be answered from actual observation. Not a few persons who abandon their employments under the impression that they will be happy in doing so, actually die of ennui. It in- duces bodily disease more than physical or mental labom’. Others, indeed, survive the