x THE FORE-BRAIN 579 



excised, the attack can immediately be arrested (H. Munk). In 

 the early stage of an epileptic attack it is not infrequently .possible 

 by extirpating the centre of one extremity to prevent the spread 

 of the convulsion to that limb, though the rest of the body is 

 violently convulsed. In other cases it is possible by prompt ablation 

 of the whole motor region on one side to arrest the convulsions on 

 the opposite side of the body, or on both sides. In other cases 

 when the general convulsions have reached their maximum 

 development destruction of the whole motor region of one 

 hemisphere fails to arrest them (Bubnoff and Heidenhain, Novi 

 and Luciani, Rosenbach and Danillo). 



(g) The hypodermic injection of 2 mgrms. of picrotoxin, or 

 14 mgrms. of sulphate of quinine per kgrm. of the animal, produces 

 in dogs and cats vomiting, salivation, and muscular contractions in 

 the form of tremors or twitches of the muscles of the face, neck, and 

 trunk, extending subsequently to the muscles of the fore-limbs and 

 then to the hind -limbs. These isolated twitches become more 

 vigorous and frequent until the animal cries, loses consciousness, 

 falls on one side, and is seized with a general epileptic attack in 

 which the tonic phase of a few seconds is followed by a clonic 

 phase of one to five minutes. If the drug is again administered to 

 the same animal a few days after excision of the motor area on 

 one side, the isolated twitches of the muscles of face, trunk, and 

 limbs, which precede the general epileptic attack, are much weaker 

 on the opposite side of the body. Moreover, during the fit the 

 convulsions are more marked in the muscles of the operated side 

 and less strong in the muscles of the opposite side (Rovighi and 

 Santini). 



(h) If potassium bromide is administered to dogs for several 

 days in succession the electrical excitability of the cortex is so 

 much reduced that even strong currents fail to produce an 

 epileptic attack, and when successive or lethal doses of quinine are 

 injected epilepsy is not evoked (Albertoni). The same negative 

 result is seen on injecting a dose of picrotoxin sufficient under 

 normal conditions to cause an epileptic attack (Rovighi and 

 Santini). Inhalation of ether and chloroform also moderates and 

 sometimes inhibits the convulsions produced by poisoning by 

 picrotoxin and quinine (Rovighi and Santini). 



Certain objections, which we will examine critically in detail, 

 were made to these arguments which undoubtedly indicate or even 

 prove the cortical origin of epilepsy : 



(a) Spontaneous epileptic convulsions almost invariably develop 

 in animals after previous operations on the cortex, not only when 

 the motor area of one or the other side has been extirpated, but 

 also after removal of non-motor regions (Luciani). This con- 

 troverts the theory that the motor area is the central organ of 

 epilepsy (Vizioli, Morselli). Electrical stimulation of non -motor 



2P l 



