Paralysis agitans and sarcoma : report of a case, with autopsy / by Charles L. Dana.

  • Dana, Charles L. (Charles Loomis), 1852-1935.
Date:
[1899?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Paralysis agitans and sarcoma : report of a case, with autopsy / by Charles L. Dana. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    head and face muscles, with loss of reflexes, with absence of electrical reaction, with no mental or sensory disturbance, and occurring periodi¬ cally at somewhat regular intervals. Nearly all of the cases have in¬ stances in the parents or ancestors of the patient. In the family of my patient the first one known to have suffered from it was the maternal grandfather of the present victim, a Pennsylvanian by birth, a tinsmith by trade, who had in early life seizures like those from which my patient has suffered, but much less severe. A first cousin of this same grand¬ father had periodic attacks of paralysis quite as bad as any which have been described. His business kept him travelling much through the rough mountain districts of central Pennsylvania, and he used to say that he was often obliged to get off his horse and “ have a paralysis.” Both these persons, so far as known to their descendants, ceased to have the attacks in middle life. The mother of the patient is one of six children. Of three elder sisters none have ever had any spells of the palsy. An older brother had one attack, brought on by overexertion, but has never had another. A younger brother has suffered in the same way, but the attacks did not begin with him until he was a grown man, and have since occurred only at long intervals. A daughter of this brother, now between twelve and thirteen years of age, has periodic palsies of the same sort, and full details of these two cases follow my patient’s history. None of the other cousins except this one has ever had the family affliction. The mother of the patient began to have periodic paralyses when fourteen years of age, probably at about the time when her menstruation appeared. Their approach was sometimes announced by a slight sense of helpless¬ ness, which would last for a whole day. Going to bed with this, she would wake in the morning with total muscular paralysis, usually last¬ ing thirty-six hours, seldom longer, and never more than forty-eight. The paroxysms recurred at long and rather irregular intervals, often months apart, and after she reached adult life decreased in frequency with the advance of years, and ceased altogether at about the thirty- eighth year. She is now forty-four years of age, and presents some interesting symptoms. Mrs. E. J. is a well-looking woman, scarcely appearing as old as she is, calls herself perfectly well, menstruates regularly, and is active men¬ tally and physically. She has a little difficulty in walking unless the ground is perfectly smooth ; a very slight inequality makes her stumble, and if she stumbles she is very apt to fall. This is especially marked at night, when she cannot see where she is going, and has been noticed for some years. When sitting she gets up with some difficulty, rising as if her legs were weak, with a sort of wiggle, and aiding herself with the nearest object upon which she can lean. She thinks this is rather worse of late years, but she had not thought it bad enough to mention.