Epilepsy : a case of twenty years standing cured, with the treatment and remarks thereon / by John Epps.

  • Epps, John, 1805-1869.
Date:
1834
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Epilepsy : a case of twenty years standing cured, with the treatment and remarks thereon / by John Epps. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    This was commenced on October 17, three days after which the nervous agitation before described, returned; this being again about the bihebdomal period. The pa- tient felt little of it again till November 7th. Up to this period he had been free from fits : a very unusually long time. It may be asked, why did not you use the alcho- LIC EXTRACT OF NUX VOMICA AT FIRST ? I answer. I think that it is not safe; and from this reason: very often there is a congested state of the vessels of the cerebel- lum, or rather of the meninges connected with it and of the spinal cord, and I have invariably adopted general friction of the spine before using local friction with a powerful tonic to the head. This congestion, however, I do not believe, is in more than in one case in a hun- dred, dependant upon what is called determination of blood to the head; an idea, which has occasioned the sacrifice of hundreds by the lancet. I consider the con- gestion dependant upon debility of the nervous fibre of the cerebellum, so that the vessels become congested from want of tone in the parts they supply : and even the pressure of the proper quantity of blood flowing through them is too great for these fibres in the debili- tated condition in which they are. To return to the case— It may be proper to notice, that, during the remis- sion of the rubbing on the back, the shooting pains darting from the spine returned ; and again ceased on resuming the friction. Relief was also experienced