THE SYMPATHETIC SYSTEM 317 



mean the oculo cardiac reflex. This was discovered 

 simultaneously by Dagini and Aschner in 1908. It 

 consists in the slowing of the heart rate (6 to 8 per minute) 

 accompanied by a decrease of the arterial pressure, a 

 slowing of the respiration and sometimes nausea, following 

 the compression of the eyeballs. The impulse is trans- 

 mitted by the branches of the trigeminal and from there 

 goes to the vagus. This reflex is exaggerated in vago- 

 tonics (decrease in pulse rate of 10 to 16) while it is absent 

 in sympathicotonics. It may even cause an acceleration of 

 the pulse rate of 20 to 30 beats per minute, without a 

 preliminary decrease. 



CLINICAL DESCRIPTION OF HYPERTONIA OF THE 

 AUTONOMIC SYSTEMS. 



1. VAGOTONIA PREDISPOSITION. Eppinger and Hess 

 have described under this name a constitutional anomaly 

 observed in certain individuals and characterized by a 

 hyperexcitability of the whole vegetative nervous system. 

 It is constituted by signs of both vagotonia and sympathi- 

 cotonia. Its name is, therefore, rather confusing, and 

 probably a better name for it would be hyperexcitability. 



This syndrone is found in young people which in the 

 past we have called nervous. Eppinger and Hess call 

 them nervous system invalids. They consider that they 

 are ambulant patients which report for some trivial 

 ailment which sometimes are referable to the heart or the 

 gastro intestinal tract and which are considered as 

 neurasthenics. 



These patients are usually pale, but change color very 

 easily; the hands are often cyanosed, moist and cold and 

 become pale under pressure of the fingers. These indi- 

 viduals perspire easily and these perspirations may be 

 localized to the head, the face or the extremities. When 



