would not the nervous system discharge its energy to the utmost
in efforts to escape from the injury, and would not the patient suffer
complete exhaustion? If the traumata under inhalation anesthesia
are sufficiently strong and are repeated in sufficient numbers,
the brain-cells are finally deprived of their dischargeable nervous
energy and become exhausted just as exhaustion follows such strenuous
and prolonged muscular exertion as is seen in endurance tests.
Whether the energy of the brain be discharged by injury under anesthesia
or by ordinary muscular exertion, identical morphologic changes are
seen in the nerve-cells. In shock from injury (Fig. 2), in exhaustion
from overwork (Hodge and Dolley) (Fig. 4), and in exhaustion from pure fear
(Fig. 5), the resultant general functional weakness is similar--
in each case a certain length of time is required to effect recovery,
and in each there are morphologic changes in the brain-cells. It
is quite clear that in each of these cases the altered function
and form of the brain-cells are due to an _*excessive discharge
of nervous energy_. This brings us to the next question:
What determines the discharge of energy as a result of trauma
with or without inhalation anesthesia?


The Cause of the Discharge of Nervous Energy as a Result of Trauma
under Inhalation Anesthesia and under Normal Conditions


I looked into this problem from many viewpoints and there seemed
to be no solution until it occurred to me to seek the explanation
in certain of the postulates which make up the doctrine of evolution.
I realize fully the difficulty and the danger in attempting
to reach the generalization which I shall make later and in