Do you mind if I say something here?

He and his friend were fishing and Howard Stillman talked constantly, as in five hours straight. A sign of things to come. 

Mr. Stillman was hospitalized in Ocala, Florida, because he could not shut up. Doctors tried hypnotics (is this another word for drugs?) after two weeks and the man slept for 12 hours. When he awoke, he started talking again. He used up every internal resource he had, I guess, talking himself to death after 18 days. I assume he had a private room.