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Lethargy

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lethargy
an abnormal lack of energy, esp as the result of a disease

lethargy [′leth·ər·jē]
(medicine)
A morbid condition of drowsiness or stupor; mental torpor.
(nucleonics)
A measure of the energy which has been lost by a neutron, equal to the natural logarithm of the ratio of the initial energy of a neutron to its energy at any given point in the slowing-down process.

Lethargy 

a morbid condition similar to sleep and characterized by immobility, absence of reactions to external stimuli, and marked weakening of all external signs of life (mors putativa).

Even the most extreme cases of lethargy can be distinguished from death, thereby precluding the possibility of erroneous burial of the living. Lethargy may be seen in hysteria, general exhaustion, and after intense agitation. An attack is sudden and lasts several hours to many days. Consciousness is usually retained: the patients perceive and remember what is happening around them but they do not react to it. The torpor associated with encephalitis and narcolepsy should be distinguished from lethargy.



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Aroused from his lethargy by the cries and reports, Larsan opened the window of his chamber and called out to us.
Becky roused up from her lethargy of distress and showed good interest in the proceedings.
I heard a slight scraping at the fence, and rousing myself from the lethargy that had fallen upon me, I looked down and saw him dimly, clambering over the palings.
 
 
 
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