The likelihood of treatment (of any one patient) increases with the length of time since the origin of the disease. . . . Those cases in which the neoplastic process progresses slowly. . . are more likely to be transferred to the 'treated' category than to remain in the 'untreated'.
I took to my room and let small things evolve slowly.
As we grow old we slowly come to believe that everything will turn out badly for us, and that failure is in the nature of things; but then we do not much mind what happens to us one way or the other.