STAGGERS. 313 



all these turnings and windings, to establish 

 a professional mystery in deceptively at- 

 tempting to ascertain distinctions where 

 none can with truth or certainty be formed, 



*^ The following evil, or convulsions, (he 

 says) '' is that which, in the physician's 

 *' terms, comes under the denomination of 

 *^ an Epilepsy, and seems to be no other than 

 '^ an APOPLEXY or vertigo, accompanied 

 ^^ with convulsions, either as the cause or 

 *^ effect." This being a kind of synonimous 

 ambiguity^ I shall so consider it, and revert 

 to his definition of convulsions at large ; where 

 he says, ^^ The cause of convulsions is, first, 

 ^' whatever wastes and exhausts the body, or 

 ^' any of its parts ; as the taking away too 

 ^- much blood, violent purging, hard labour, 

 '' or long sickness. Secondly, whatever fills 

 '* the body too much, and give* origin to 

 *^ obstructions in the blood vessels or nerves, 

 " or brings a debility and weakness into the 

 *' stomach ; and, lastly, wounds, or what- 

 ^' ever else causes pain and inflammation : 

 '■ as to the cure it is the same with that of 

 ''apoplexy and vertigo." He has thus 

 technically and abstrusely laboured through 

 a multiplicity pf close written pages to per- 



