This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1922 Excerpt: ...other hand, you felt well, then residence in the cloister was less agreeable. Vincent did not give up hope by any means. He felt that he must fight against his illness and obey all the regulations carefully, but he did not feel the necessity for paying any particular attention to his doctor. Dr. Peyron, the manager, was very friendly and patient, but he seemed to derive little pleasure from his profession, which was hardly surprising. Vincent had above all to learn how to take care of himself. He regarded all disease as either a step to recovery or to destruction. As long as he felt hope he considered that he was in the right place and therefore must put up with petty annoyances. But once he gave up hope he would long for nothing but the grave. The asylum had the advantage of affording him an opportunity of observing others, with a view to finding clues to his own condition. His life-long habit of observing nature was of assistance to him. He found, for instance, that much talking about art harmed him. As his powers were limited he determined to use them only for what was essential, and he tried to acquire the slow pace and the solemn quietude of a man like Roulin. His illness was by no means chronic and at present, at any rate, it occurred without apparent provocation at intervals which he might learn to gauge. His chief aim was to recognize the causes of his fits and thus to avoid them. Perhaps he could learn to obviate the causes and to make his attacks less wild, but above all he wanted to be able to regularize them. He had heard of a Russian writer who used to calculate the occurrence of his epileptic fits quite calmly and arrange his work accordingly. He could, of course, form no picture as to the nature of his attacks, because his information depende...