14 Case of Epilepsy. 



and vertigo, which he had always observed to be the 

 precursors of an attack, he became alarmed, and has- 

 tened to his house. About eight o'clock, he was 

 seized with a violent fit. I saw him at nine. I was 

 informed, that the gentleman who visited him on for- 

 mer occasions employed bleeding and emetics, during 

 the attack, without any manifest advantage. 



Theory, either true or false, led me to adopt a sti- 

 mulating plan. About half a drachm of the Balsam of 

 Peru*, and twenty drops of laudanum, were dropped 

 into a little warm coffee, and immediately adminis- 

 tered, without the addition of sugar or mucilage. A 

 return of the convulsions took place, about two mi- 

 nutes after he had swallowed the medicine. The 

 balsam was repeated, in the same dose, without the 

 laudanum, as soon as the convulsions and succeeding 

 coma permitted. A warm regimen was directed. 

 The reiteration of the fits was stopped. I will not 

 assert, that the medicine just mentioned was the real 

 cause of the patient's speedy relief; but it seemed to 

 be the cause of that relief. 



Such were the circumstances of this case of epi- 

 lepsy, before the Nitrate of Silver was employed, as a 

 preventive of the paroxysms. The patient had hither- 

 to employed no metallic tonic for this purpose ; but 

 lie had tried opium, assafoetida, valerian, without 

 effect. 



• This particular stimulant I recollected lo bjave been employ- 

 . Dr. Kirkland. Medical Surgery. 



