556 THE DISEASES AND DISORDERS OF THE OX. 



readers are familiar, probably, with the appearances presented 

 by a person in an epileptic fit, and with the fact that in some of 

 these cases a spiculum of bone has after death in some cases 

 been found penetrating the brain. There may be other causes 

 than this, such as abnormal growths at work, or the white matter 

 of the brain may be hardened, while the grey portion is marbled 

 or rosy, the membranes being adherent to the surfaces. As a 

 fit comes on, the patient becomes dull, then suddenly loses brain 

 power, falling and remaining recumbent in an unconscious con- 

 dition for some time. In the case of a human being, the average 

 duration of an epileptic fit may be a little more than four 

 minutes, perhaps ; but it may be very severe — so severe, indeed, 

 that death may be expected to end the dreadful convulsions. 

 These may last half an hour or more. On the other hand, a fit 

 may last about half a minute only. In any case, however, it 

 is some little time before complete consciousness is regained, 

 and it is, moreover, a gradual awakening to his full powers, and 

 by no means a sudden one, which the sufferer experiences. For 

 instance, a man may act with apparent sensibility soon after a 

 fit, and some little time after he may have forgotten all that he 

 did. Again, the patient would not remember what he did 

 immediately before the fit began, until, perhaps, some hours 

 afterwards. 



These epileptic fits are very dangerous, inasmuch as, unless 

 the sufferer takes the greatest care of himself or herself, great 

 dangers may be encountered, such as, for instance, at a railway 

 station or by the side of a precipitous chasm, or elsewhere. A 

 patient may be suddenly seized by a fit while in a dangerous 

 position, as, for instance, near the bank of a river or on the 

 platform of a railway-station, just as the train is coming in. 

 Fortunately, medicine, and especially the bromides of potassium, 

 sodium, and ammonium, and other therapeutic agents, possess 

 very great powers in controlling the epileptic seizures. Small 

 doses of bromides can be taken for long periods of time with 

 safety. Some patients seldom or never have a fit without a 

 distinct warning of, perhaps, as much as from a quarter to half 

 a minute, so that there is time to get away from serious danger. 

 Often an epileptic, if possessed of a very determined mind, will 

 tell those who are with him of the approach of a fit, though there 

 is generally a great objection to do so. Sometimes they will 



