Observations on epilepsy, its pathology, and treatment / by William M. Cornell.

  • Cornell, William Mason, 1802-1895.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on epilepsy, its pathology, and treatment / by William M. Cornell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    which his knowledge of the antecedent disorders and state of the pa- tient would warrant. Whilst this was passing through the press, it man of middle size, apparently about 40, consulted me ; and stated that, he had been seized with the first paroxysm of the disease immediately post coitum quinquies repetitum duabus cum puellis intro fwras perpaneas ; that he had been blooded to about a pint soon afterwards, and experienced a still more severe fit about a month after the first; that the third seizure occurred about a fortnight after the second, during which he fell down and cut his head, the cut part having bled a pint at least; that his usual medical attendant, arriving soon after the termination of this fit, bled him largely from the arm, but that as soon as the vein was closed, the fit returned, and that during the struggle the vein broke out, and the blood was allowed to flow until two or three pints were taken in addition to the quantities lost just before. The person who accompanied him to my house, on account of his weak state, and who witnessed the pa- roxysms, stated that this last was most severe ; and that the fit which occurred during the depletion, and which was attempted to be put a stop to by continuing the abstraction of blood until a very unusual quantity was lost (about five pints in all), was remarkably prolonged and violent. The patient is now pale and weak, with a waxy appearance of. the sur- face : completely exhausted physically and mentally, and constantly dreading a recurrence of the paroxysms. This case furnishes a very re- markable instance not only of the failure of large bloodletting in arrest- ing or shortening the fits, but also of its influence in rendering them more frequent and violent when injudiciously prescribed. The Latin in the above quotation, shows that excessive venery may be the cause of an epileptic attack, in accordance with our remarks above on masturbation. Dr. Armstrong says, Excess of venery is very often the occasion of epilepsy, and still more frequently, excess of that solitary vice, onanism, of which I have seen some most lamentable examples. Dr. Eberle says, Excessive evacuations are among the exciting causes of epilepsy ; and this is particularly the case with inordinate seminal evacuations, either from excessive venery or masturbation. In these cases we have still additional proof of epilepsy being caused by debility. I only add that Dr. C.'s resort to purgatives was but little if any better treatment than the other physician's use of the lancet. I am not opposing bloodletting, in cases where it is indicated, nor the use of pur- gatives where required ; but it must be a rare case of epilepsy to de- mand either.