432 PRACTICE OF PHYSIC. 



though I have given no such caution hitherto, that possibly the 

 practice for obviating plethora, which I have insisted upon, may, 

 upon occasions, be pushed so far as to support the epilepsy 

 from inanition. I have a fact which makes it necessary to attend 

 to this. A gentleman, a pupil of mine, was liable to epilepsy ; 

 and from several observations on the recurrence of the fits, I 

 had reason to believe that a turgescence, or partial plethora, had 

 a share in bringing back the disease. I accordingly practised 

 blood-letting, to which he had been accustomed, but I especial- 

 ly recommended strict abstinence, which had manifestly good 

 effects in rendering the disease less frequent ; but, in spite of all 

 remedies, it did occur, so as to excite a sort of despair in expect- 

 ing relief from the measures which we pursued. Some years 

 after this, he removed from this country to his own home in 

 England, and there, necessarily engaged among his friends, he 

 was under some temptation of taking a more full diet, and more 

 wine than formerly. He found no bad effects from it, and 

 came at last to live in the manner of ordinary people. He has 

 had no return'of epilepsy for some years, and is now a practi- 

 tioner of some eminence. This was a plain proof that he suf- 

 fered from the inanition, or that the disease depended more 

 upon the mobility of the system than we were aware of." 



MCCCXXX. The means of obviating the effects of debili- 

 ty, and of the mobility depending upon it, are the use of tonic 

 and antispasmodic remedies. The tonics are, Fear, or some 

 degree of terror ; astringents ; certain vegetable and metallic 

 tonics ; and cold bathing. 



" That fear or terror, according to its kind or degree, acts 

 very differently, is well known. There is no doubt of its being 

 in general enervating, of its being a sedative power which imme- 

 diately weakens the whole animal power ; yet we find, that, in 

 a moderate degree, it operates merely as a tonic. I leave you 

 to reconcile the theory ; but we have many proofs of convulsive 

 motions obviated by fear, which we cannot explain in any other 

 way. So the common practice in hiccup is, to alarm children 

 with some grounds of fear ; we have also other cases of convul- 

 sive motions cured by it. Dr. Willis tells us, that he cured 

 many children of hiccup by setting them into a mill-hopper, 

 where there was a constant alternate motion, with considerable 



