ABSTRACT
TOWARDS the close of this year of intense and varied activity the Head of the State suffered a breakdown in health from which he never recovered. The Emperor had always been of delicate health, and, though he was the only son of the Meiji Tenno, it was only after a consultation with physicians as to his prospects of growing up to manhood that he was declared heir to the Throne. He grew up, married, and became the father of four sons, the last of whom was born not long after the Coronation in 1915. But though for a long time he fulfilled the arduous duties of a modern monarch, his health was gradually giving way. At the autumn manœuvres in 1919, which were held in the Hyogo district, His Majesty was in supreme command, as usual on such occasions, and he displayed a great interest in the equipment, the rationing, and the burdens of the common soldier; but this, while gracious and kindly, was a departure from the routine of a Commander-in-Chief which may have foreshadowed the coming disaster. It was very shortly after this that it was found necessary to treat the Emperor as an invalid. Hopes were held out for some time of his recovery, but they were disappointed. The Emperor failed in both mind and body. His speech was affected, and his memory left him, and though his physical functions were normal, his nervous system failed, so that he walked with a dragging step. From this time onwards His Majesty lived chiefly at the imperial villas, the Empress constantly attending him.
