On the successful treatment of epilepsy by the administration of hydrate of chloral with bromide of potassium : being a paper read ... 1880.

  • Duncan, Eben.
Date:
1880
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the successful treatment of epilepsy by the administration of hydrate of chloral with bromide of potassium : being a paper read ... 1880. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    every second night, so that she might have every alternate day free from the constant state of drowsiness above mentioned. On the 10th day of May she had a slight attack of the Petit Mai. I noted that the patient had not had any attack since the 30th of March, and on account of having been so long free from her complaint, she had greatly reduced the dose of the Chloral mixture, On the evening of the 9th of May she took no medicine. She was directed to resume the drachm doses every alternate night. No further attack occurred until the 28th of June. Her mother noted in connection with this attack that patient had been at the seaside for a fortnight, and seemed to be in remarkably good health. She had one day walked a distance of five miles without showing symptoms of fatigue ; she had therefore given up the medicine for a week. It was resumed as formerly. She had two attacks on the 28th of July, and one attack on the 29th. These attacks occurred during her menstrual period, and it was again noted that she had not taken any medicine for several nights previously, on account of severe pain in the eyes, with headache. I need not weary you with any further minute details. It may suffice to say that as long as the patient could be got to take the remedies regularly and in sufficient dose she had no attacks even of the Petit Mai. In the month of November she gave up taking medicine of any kind, and in December she had an attack of the Grand Mai--the first seizure of that kind within a period of 14 months. On that occasion her mother sent for me, and informed me that her daughter had taken such a dislike to the Chloral mixture that she refused to take any more of it, but she was willing to try anything else. I therefore prescribed Belladonna, and pushed that remedy until it produced its physiological effects. She continued to take this remedy for about three weeks; but as the attacks of the Petit Mai became more frequent, and she had another attack of the Grand Mai in January, she asked me to try the Bromide of Potassium, without the Chloral. I then prescribed 30 grain doses of Bromide of Potassium to be taken three times a day, but still the attacks of the Petit Mai continued to recur frequently, and she had several attacks of the Grand Mai in February and March. Last month I persuaded her to go back to the Chloral mixture in the modified dose of 40 grains, and combined it with 30 grains of the Bromide