HEADACHES IN CHILDREN. 123 



Such irregular movement is also very common in 

 nervous children ; a tremulous tongue is characteris- 

 tic of alcoholism, and general paralysis of the insane. 



As to the condition of the mental centres, dis- 

 turbed and restless sleep was very common ; night- 

 terrors were frequent ; often the child would scream 

 out that " a lot of people were coming to kill him," 

 that he "saw the school-board man" coming, etc. 

 In six cases, there was the distinct history of 

 somnambulism ; in four of these, the acts performed 

 during sleepjhad been complicated and curious; in one 

 case, that of a boy nine years old, such attacks were 

 frequent at the time he came under observation, 

 on account of his headaches ; in the remaining cases, 

 somnambulism had occurred at an earlier period. 



In seeking the lines of causation of recurrent 

 headaches in children, the cases were arranged in 

 a tabular form according to age and sex. 



Ages 3-4 4-5 5-6 6-7 7-8 8-9 9-10 10-11 11-12 12-18 13-15 



Males 25 1228212 2 4 1 

 Females33 0231255 4 2 4 5 



Totals 58 1459467 6 6 5 5 



As among other groups of nervous cases, the 

 preponderance of number is with the female sex. 

 Heredity appeared to produce a marked predisposi- 

 tion to this neurotic condition. There was a history 

 of recurrent headaches in the mother in twenty* 

 four cases, and in the father in eight, while in three 

 cases there were examples of insanity in the family. 



As to treatment, the restless, excitable condition 

 of these children, and the great want of rest in sleep, 



