The case to be reported is of interest not only because of the periodicity of the attacks but because of the marked changes in the electrical resistance of the skin which accompanied them.
REPORT OF A CASE
In 1931 Mr. S., aged 31, was admitted to the Henry Phipps Psychiatric Clinic complaining of periodic attacks of severe abdominal pain. The attacks, which were localized over the lower ribs on the left side, lasted for from three to thirty hours and recurred at intervals of from eight to twelve days. They were often associated with vomiting and headache and usually incapacitated the patient for work. The only possible explanation of their onset lies in the fact that at about 4 years of age the patient suffered severe trauma in the gastric region when he fell from a tree and landed on a rock. The attacks started when he was between 5