HYSTERIA-EPILEPSY.
We consider these two affections together, although they are quite dif ferent, because there is a form that serves, as it were, as a bond of union between them—hystero-epilepsy.
The Influence of Pregnancy on Hysteria and Epilepsy.—Anthors differ widely regarding the influence of pregnancy on hysteria. While many advise marriage and pregnancy, and think that the hysterical attacks are relieved by gestation; others, on the contrary, believe that not only does pregnancy fail to relieve hysteria, but that the attacks at the beginning become more severe and frequent. They nearly always disappear, it is true, during the latter months. Briquet again affirms, that preg-nancy has sometimes a favorable, sometimes an unfavorable action. " Hysteri cal manifestations," according to him, " depend far more upon moral causes and upon the condition of the women at the time, than upon any thing else."
As regards epilepsy, there is pretty mach the 881110 divergence of opin ion. Fernel has seen epilepsy develop during pregnancy and disappear after delivery; Tissot regards epilepsy as frequent during pregnancy, and sometimes the latter condition seems to diminish the frequency of the at tacks, sometimes to increase them. We believe that, on the whole, the latter opinion should be accepted. Sometimes pregnancy modifies epi lepsy by postponing the attacks snd rendering them much less severe; sometimes, on the other hand, pregnancy exerts a disastrous influence.
The Influence of Hysteria and Epilepsy 071 Pregnancy.—This seems to be almost nil, and we have, ourselves, seen in two eases out of three, preg nancy go on to term, while in the third, abortion did not occur, notwith standing the fact that the attacks were so severe as to cause the death of the patient.