85 



Van Swieten relates a case of curation of epilepsy by the ex- 

 tirpation of a hard cartilaginous body, somewhat larger than a 

 pea, situated on a nerve of the leg. 



A case is related in the Medical and Physical Journal, (vol. 

 x. p. 52,) in which a cure of epilepsy was effected by the 

 application of caustic to the nerve which accompanies the vena 

 saphena. 



Many other analogous cases are on record. Jacques Carron, 

 (Recueil periodique de la Soc. de Medecine de Paris, t. xviii. p. 

 422,) cured a child by the extirpation of a small sebaceous 

 tumor which existed on one of the fingers. Portal, (Observations 

 sur Tepilepsie, Paris, 1827, p. 159,) cites a case observed by 

 Fabos, in which the fits were preceded by a pain in one of the 

 fingers. During a violent fit Fabos put a ligature around the 

 radial nerve, and the patient was completely cured. Portal 

 (Anatomic Medicale, vol. iv. p. 247,) relates that one of his 

 pupils, Mr. Leduc, cured an epileptic by the extirpation of 

 a hard tumor which was on one of the fingers. Joseph Frank 

 cured by castration a patient in whom epilepsy had appeared 

 after an injury to the scrotum. Henricus ab Heer, cited by 

 Sennert, (Opera omnia, vol. ii. p. 489,) having observed that 

 during her fits, a girl used to rub her two big toes, cured her 

 by the application of caustic to these toes. Similar cases have 

 been related by Alexander, of Tralles, and by Wepfer. 



I have cured a guinea-pig of a very violent convulsive affec- 

 tion, much resembling epilepsy, by a section of the sciatic nerve. 

 This animal had been bitten by another on the toes of one of the 

 posterior limbs. A considerable slough appeared on the wounded 

 part, and after two or three weeks fits appeared, and the animal 

 shortly afterwards had many very violent fits every day. I laid 

 bare the sciatic nerve and cut it transversely. After this opera- 

 tion I kept the animal many months, and never saw it have a 

 fit. From this fact, and from those observed by many physi- 

 cians above related, it appears clearly that in cases of 

 epilepsy it is necessary to examine if there is no injury whatever 

 to some nerve, and more particularly when the aura epileptica 

 exists. If there is such an injury, the treatment ought to be 

 either the section of the injured nerve or the removal of the 

 tumor, if there is one, and sometimes the application of a caustic 

 or a blister. 



