: ,- OF IRRITATION. 115 



re, tint during fleep in the cephalxa fomniofa a temporary 

 congeftion of fluid may occur in fome part of the brain, as a 

 permanent one occurs in the hydrocephalus internus , in the 

 feme manner as I believe in the afthma humorale a temporary 

 congeflion of fluid occurs in fome part within the cheft, and a 

 permanent one in the anafarca of the lungs. 



M. M. The patient mould fleep with his head raifed high 

 en many pillows, and wear drawers to prevent his flipping down 

 in bed. 2. He fhould fleep on a hardifh bed, or mattrefs, to 

 prevent his fleeping too profoundly, cr too long together. 3. 

 Or he may be wakened, after having flept a certain number of 

 hours by an alarum clock. 4. Any carious teeth mould be ex- 

 traded, as the matter from putrid bones, fwallowed with the 

 faliva, weakens the fyftem by its effect on the ftomach. 5. 

 Twenty drops of faturated tincture of digitalis may be taken 

 twice or thrice a day for three or four weeks. 6. Half a grain 

 of opium and fix grains of rhubarb fhould be taken every night 

 for many weeks or months. 7. Oxygen gas may be refpired 

 daily for a time, till itsfFec"i can be known. 



12. Hemifrania idiopatbica. This difeafeis defcribed by Sau- 

 vage, under the name of trifmus dolorificus, or tic douloureux, in 

 Clafs IV. ord. i. gen. 2. fpec. 14. of his elaborate work. But 

 the word trifmus is an improper name, as no fixed fpafm like the 

 locked jaw exifts in this malady, nor any flridor dentium, or con- 

 vulfion of the mufcles of the face, or trick, attends thefe patients 

 in the few cafes which I have witnefled, though this may poffi- 

 .-ccur occafionally asthe confequence of difagreeable fenfation, 

 or to relieve it. I fuppofe the word tic douloureux is a vulgar 

 French exprefiion, like megrim in Englifh. 



The caufe of this afflicting difeafe is yet unknown. As it 

 does not appear to fympathize with a difeafed tooth, like the he- 

 micrania fymparhetica, defcribed in Clafs IV. 2. 2. 8. I fuf- 

 pecl: the caufe to confift in a difeafed flate of the nerve itfelf, or 

 of its covering or theca, and to refemble the fciatica frigid?., 

 mentioned below ; or to refemble fome of thofe pains, which are 

 fucceeded or relieved by epileptic convulfions, defcribed in Clafs 

 III. i. i. 8. and that it thus differs from the hemicrania fym- 

 pathetica ; as in this the caufe of the difeafe, and the feat ef the 

 pain, exift in the fame place. 



One cafe, which occurred to me long ago, of this difeafe, was 

 of an elderly gentleman, Mr. W. of Litchfield, who had long 

 loft all his teeth ; the pain began chiefly about the cheek-bone, 

 and extended fometimes to the ala of the nofe, and to other parts 

 of the face on the fame fide ; on examining the gums of the up- 

 per jaw, there was no fufpicion of any flump of a decayed tootb 



remaining 



