She seemed desirous of making herself conspicuous, it was thought she was wickedly determined to turn things at home from bad to worse, whereas with great naivete she simply acted according to the impulses of her nature.
Ever since giving birth to her first child she had been subject to nervous fits which brought on terrible convulsions.

These fits recurred periodically, every two or three months.

The doctors whom she consulted declared they could do nothing for her, that age would weaken the severity of the attacks.

They simply prescribed a dietary regimen of underdone meat and quinine wine.

However, these repeated shocks led to cerebral disorder.