on the Irritability of Nerves $ 
hours after, upon bending his thumb, to shew what had happened 
to him in the carriage, there was a return of the same attack, 
which also rendered him insensible for a few minutes. 
From this time, he had no return of these attacks for nine 
weeks; at the end of which period, on the 18th of December, 
1 799, he was waving his hand over his head, with a degree of 
eagerness, as a sign for some people to make haste and follow 
him ; this exertion made the thumb contract towards the palm 
of the hand, and he fell upon the ground in a state of insensi- 
bility. This attack went off as the others had done; he had 
another in the evening ; and, in the course of the next day, two 
more, equally violent. As the motion of the thumb was the first 
symptom in all these attacks, the assistants were led to contrive 
a glove, the front of which was strong enough to resist the 
motion of the thumb, and to keep it in its place : while this was 
kept on, the attacks were less frequent. A ligature was then 
applied round the fore-arm; when the thumb was beginning 
to be agitated, this was tightened, and the spasms were found 
to be arrested at the ligature, and of course deprived of their 
violence. 
From this time, a tourniquet was kept constantly upon the 
fore-arm ; and a person was always in readiness to tighten it, the 
moment the spasm was expected, which was always preceded 
by a general feel of uneasiness all over the body: as soon 
as the spasm went off, which it did instantaneously, the tour- 
niquet was loosened. The spasms in the thumb and fore-arm 
returned frequently, and at irregular intervals, generally every 
three hours, sometimes oftener, and once did not come on for 
thirty-six hours. 
On the third or fourth day, electricity was tried, with a view 
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