EPILEPSY. 463 



seizures have been checked by arresting the transmission 

 of impressions from the surface to the nervous centre. Dr 

 Brown-Se'quard alludes to this in the following terms : 

 " There is a great analogy between the aura epileptica in 

 man, and the pain originating in the skin and face of my 

 animals. In them, as well as in man (when there is a real 

 aura), the trunks of the nerves seem not to possess the 

 faculty of producing fits, whereas their ramifications in the 

 skin, or in the muscles, have this power. In my animals, 

 as well as in man, if there is an interruption of nervous 

 transmission between the skin and the nervous centres, fits 

 are no more seen, or at least their number is very much 

 diminished I have collected many cases of epilepsy with 

 an evident aura epileptica, in which there has been either 

 a diminution of the fits, or more frequently a complete 

 cure, after the interruption of nervous transmission between 

 the starting-point of the aura and the nervous centres. In 

 these cases, the following various means have been employed 

 with complete or partial success, either against the aura 

 epileptica, or against its production : 1st, Ligature of a 

 limb or of a finger ; 2d, Sections of one or many nerves, 

 and amputation of a limb, or of other parts of the body ; 

 3d, Elongation of muscles which are the seat of the aura ; 

 tli, Cauterization, by various means, of the part of the 

 skin from which the aura originates." 



I have found in dogs that the best means whereby to 

 check the violence of a seizure, is to dash cold water on 

 the head, or in severe cases, when the fits recur with vio- 

 lence, at short intervals chloroform may be given. 



Schroeder van der Kolk regards epilepsy as usually due 

 to, or associated with, congestion of the upper part of the 

 spinal cord and of the medulla oblongata, and has ascer- 

 tained that this condition is best overcome by belladonna 



