MEDICINE. 
dangerous is tiie disease, particularly if tlie 
^'ital functions be much affected; some- 
times, although not very frequently, a sin- 
gle violent paroxysm cuts off the patient : 
epilepsy sometimes goes off at the age of 
puberty, or on the appearance of the men- 
ses; an intermittent fever, or a cutaneous 
eruption often removes the disease. 
Treatment. Blood-letting will sometimes 
be of service in the paroxysm, if the disease 
has not been of long continuance, and tlie 
patient is in a plethoric state ; in general, 
however, it is more advisable not to take 
away blood, but to trust to less debilitating 
remedies ; immediately the patient is at- 
tacked with a fit, we must endeavour, as far 
as possible, to prevent his receiving any ip- 
jury from the violent agitation of his body, 
he ought, therefore, to be put into a bed, 
with his head raised, and to have any pres- 
sure, occasioned by ligatures about his neck, 
instantly removed; stimulants should be 
applied to the nostrils, as errhines, or vola- 
tiles, as the spiritus ammonias compositus, 
the spiritus ammoniae succinatus, &c. and 
the spine should be rubbed with the aether, 
or with the linimentum ammoniae fortius, or 
oil of turpentine, and they will be more 
serviceable, if combined with stimulants, as 
the oil of amber, or tlie tincture of cantha- 
rides; it will be proper to administer opiates, 
and other anti-spasmodics, by clyster, par- 
ticularly musk, and valerian. In the inter- 
missions we are to attempt the radical cure 
of the disease; when the disease is sympto- 
matic of some primary affection, we must, 
by a particular attention to the attending 
symptoms, endeavour to discover the na- 
ture of that affection ; and if we succeed 
in removing the primary affection, by the 
proper means adapted to its cause, the epi- 
leptic attacks will cease of course ; the aura 
epileptica has been removed by a tight 
bandage being made round the limb, just 
above the part from which that sensation 
appears to proceed; we must direct the pa- 
tient to carefully avoid the occasional 
causes which are within his reach, and the 
predisposition must be corrected, as far as 
lies in our power. When the disease is 
idiopathic, and appears to depend upon a 
plethoric state of the system, that must be 
removed or prevented by moderate exer- 
cise, an abstemious diet, and issues, or se- 
tons, if the disease appear to arise from any 
suppressed discharge, in particular the h®- 
morrhois, leeches should be applied to the 
hsemorrhoidal vessels, fomentations should 
be employed, and we should, at tlie same 
time, administer aloetic cathartics; after 
the plethoric state of the system is removed, 
the cure of the disease will be effected by 
antispasmodics : when the disease seems to 
arise in consequence of a debilitated state 
of the system, it must be strengthened by 
cold-bathing, exercise, change of air, a 
nourishing diet, tonics, and anti-spasmo- 
dics; tlie most suitable tonics are, bark, 
oxide of ai'senie, ammoniate of copper, sul- 
phate of copper, oxide of zinc and chaly- 
beates : the antispasmodics in most general 
use are, oil of cajeput (melaleuca leucaden- 
dron), Eether, musk, digitalis, stramonium., 
belladonna or hyoscyamus, lunar caustic and 
opium, which last is most assuredly the best 
and most efficacious antispasmodic, it should 
be administered in doses, proportioned to 
the age and constitution of the patient, a 
short time before the expected return of 
the paroxysm, the opium must be repeated 
at proper intervals, and it will be necessary 
to increase the dose in a gradual manner, in 
proportion to the violence or frequent re- 
currence of the fits ; whatever antispasmo- 
dic is employed, it will be indispensably re- 
quisite never to allow its effects to cease on 
the system, and to continue its use for 
months, or even a year or two after the vio- 
lence of the disease is overcome, and the 
fits have ceased, in order to establish a new 
habit in the system, and it should, on no ac- 
count, be left off all at once, but the dose 
should be gradually diminished, as the fits 
are very apt to return, on the discon- 
tinuance of the medicine, w'ith increased 
violence and danger: it wall not be impro- 
per to remark, that antispasmodics are em- 
ployed with most advantage, a short time 
previous to the expected recurrence of the 
paroxysm, and when the fits recur during 
sleep, a full dose of an opiate should be 
given at bed-time ; the application of q, 
cataplasm, formed chiefly of tobacco, to 
the scrobiculus cordis, about half an hour 
before the expected return of the pa- 
roxysm, has sometimes prevented it, and 
this practice, repealed several successive 
days, at the expected periods, has destroyed 
the diseased catenation, and effected a per- 
manent cure: if the disease appears to 
arise from .sympathy, some instrument of 
terror should be kept in readiness, as the 
actual cautery, or something that will in- 
spire horror, which will very frequently 
prevent the fits: should derangement of 
the prim® vi®, worms, dentition, or any 
other obvious exciting cause, be the means 
of occasioning the disease, it must be re- 
