CHOREA. 147 



tion, &c., are resorted to, tonics and antispasmodics^ such as vale- 

 rian, castor, myrrh, cinchona, camphor, and the preparations of iron, 

 should be prescribed. This state of disease is often induced by mas- 

 turbation ; in which case cold aspersion of the genitals night and 

 morning, sponging the spine with cold salt water or vinegar and 

 water, and the internal use of the preparations of iron, will prove 

 beneficial. Where epilepsy occurs in a scrofulous habit, the iodide 

 of iron, or the iodide of potassium, may be given. If worms be 

 suspected, turpentine and other anthelmintics must be exhibited. The 

 diseases of the digestive organs, and the other complications of epi- 

 lepsy, should be treated on general principles. 



Some medicines have been much lauded in the treatment of epi- 

 lepsy ; the principal of these are — the nitrate or oxide of silver, the 

 ammonio-sulphate of copper, arsenite of potash, sulphates of iron, 

 zinc, or copper, quinine, extract of nux vomica, and strychnia. 

 Among the antispasmodics employed are, ether, ammonia, camphor, 

 musk, castor, assafcetida, galbanum, valerian, and serpentaria. 



CHOREA, 



This disease is popularly named St. Vitus's dance. Chorea Sancti 

 Viti ; the French call it the dance of St. Guy ; and the Germans, 

 the dance of St. Weit. 



Causes. — The most common are, intestinal irritation from worms 

 or morbid accumulations, and fright. It may also be caused by in- 

 juries to the nervous system from blows or fklls ; by suppression of 

 eruptions, or vicarious discharges ; by rheumatic metastasis to the 

 membranes of the spinal cord ; by violent mental emotions ; by ex- 

 cessive venery ; by masturbation, &c. 



Symptoms. — Generally speaking, convulsive movements, or rather 

 twitches, of the fingers and muscles of the face are first observed ; 

 after a short time, the convulsive movements become more marked ; 

 strange contortions of the features take place ; the disease extends 

 to the voluntary muscles of all parts of the body, and frequently 

 those of the lower extremities are so continually excited that the 

 patient appears to be dancing, which makes his gait very unsteady; 

 he is chiefly affected when he is most desirous to control his actions. 

 The disease is sometimes confined to one side of the body, or it is 

 more perceptible on one side than the other ; the muscles are also 

 affected with a sensation of pricking, creeping, or of numbness. At 

 first there is no constitutional derangement, there being no fever, 

 and all the functions being properly performed, with the exception 

 of the bowels being torpid ; but after the disease has continued some 

 time, the general health becomes impaired, and occasionally the 

 mental faculties suffer. This affection is much n^ore common in the 



