The Cause. 



conviction that they had brought upon them- 

 selves the epileptic paroxysms for which they 

 sought my advice." 



Sir Thomas touched an important note here : 

 " it is painful and difficult even to allude to." Of 

 course it is painful. That is the reason why it 

 has gained such a hold on the people. Masturba- 

 tion would never have spread in this country, or 

 in any other, to the present extent if medical 

 men had done their duty as instructed citizens, 

 and openly expounded the subject, and all its 

 woes. It is only by public instruction that the 

 evil can be checked, and the sooner open enquiry 

 is commenced, the better it will be for humanity 

 at large. 



Dr. R. P. Ritchie says : " Most confirmed in- 

 sane epileptics indulge in the propensity." Dr. 

 Ritchie was one of those who did not think 

 epilepsy a result of the vice, as he thought 

 that the vice succeeded, rather than preceded, 

 the first epileptic attacks. I think it would be 

 difficult for him, or anyone else, except the 

 patient himself, to decide that question. 



M. Christian was of the same opinion as Dr. 

 Ritchie : " Voici un epileptique ; il a des 

 attaques plus fortes et plus frequentes chaque 

 fois qu'il se livre au coit ou a 1'onanisme. Peut- 

 etre meme la premiere attaque a-t-elle eclate a 

 1'occasion du coi't." 



Dr. Ritchie seemed to think that the epilepsy 

 preceded the vice, because he thought the vice to 

 be of rarer occurrence with the public than is 

 really the case ; he said : " If it be said that the 

 epilepsy in those so afflicted who practised the 



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