“Well, what’s the matter with that child? What’s the matter with everything—wasps, puff-balls, babies, eh? What’s making them grow so big? This is most unexpected. In Kent too! If it was America now—”
“It’s a little difficult to say just what it is,” said the doctor. “So far as I can grasp the symptoms—”
“Yes?”
“It’s Hypertrophy—General Hypertrophy.”
“Hypertrophy?”
“Yes. General—affecting all the bodily structures—all the organism. I may say that in my own mind, between ourselves, I’m very nearly convinced it’s that.... But one has to be careful.”
“Ah,” said the Vicar, a good deal relieved to find the doctor equal to the situation. “But how is it it’s breaking out in this fashion, all over the place?”
“That again,” said the doctor, “is difficult to say.”
“Urshot. Here. It’s a pretty clear case of spreading.”
“Yes,” said the doctor. “Yes. I think so. It has a strong resemblance at any rate to some sort of epidemic. Probably Epidemic Hypertrophy will meet the case.”