“Thestateofanhedonia，ifImaycoinanewwordtopairoffwithanalgesia。”hewrites，“hasbeenverylittlestudied，butitexists。Ayounggirlwassmittenwithaliverdiseasewhichforsometimealteredherconstitution。Shefeltnolongeranyaffectionforherfatherandmother。Shewouldhaveplayedwithherdoll，butitwasimpossibletofindtheleastpleasureintheact。Thesamethingswhichformerlyconvulsedherwithlaughterentirelyfailedtointeresthernow。Esquirolobservedthecaseofaveryintelligentmagistratewhowasalsoapreytohepaticdisease。Everyemotionappeareddeadwithinhim。Hemanifestedneitherperversionnorviolence，butcompleteabsenceofemotionalreaction。Ifhewenttothetheatre，whichhedidoutofhabit，hecouldfindnopleasurethere。Thethoughtofhishouseofhishome，ofhiswife，andofhisabsentchildrenmovedhimaslittle，hesaid，asatheoremofEuclid。”[76]
[76]Ribot：Psychologiedessentiments，p。54。
Prolongedseasicknesswillinmostpersonsproduceatemporaryconditionofanhedonia。Everygood，terrestrialorcelestial，isimaginedonlytobeturnedfromwithdisgust。Atemporaryconditionofthissort，connectedwiththereligiousevolutionofasingularlyloftycharacter，bothintellectualandmoral，iswelldescribedbytheCatholicphilosopher，FatherGratry，inhisautobiographicalrecollections。InconsequenceofmentalisolationandexcessivestudyatthePolytechnicschool，youngGratryfellintoastateofnervousexhaustionwithsymptomswhichhethusdescribes：——
“IhadsuchauniversalterrorthatIwokeatnightwithastart，thinkingthatthePantheonwastumblingonthePolytechnicschool，orthattheschoolwasinflames，orthattheSeinewaspouringintotheCatacombs，andthatPariswasbeingswallowedup。Andwhentheseimpressionswerepast，alldaylongwithoutrespiteIsufferedanincurableandintolerabledesolation，vergingondespair。Ithoughtmyself，infact，rejectedbyGod，lost，damned！Ifeltsomethinglikethesufferingofhell。BeforethatIhadnevereventhoughtofhell。Mymindhadneverturnedinthatdirection。Neitherdiscoursesnorreflectionshadimpressedmeinthatway。Itooknoaccountofhell。Now，andallatonce，Isufferedinameasurewhatissufferedthere。
“Butwhatwasperhapsstillmoredreadfulisthateveryideaofheavenwastakenawayfromme：Icouldnolongerconceiveofanythingofthesort。Heavendidnotseemtomeworthgoingto。