TOX2EMIA.—Alcohol, morphine, co caine, lead, arsenic, sulphide of carbon, and autoinfection may give rise to teria. Most of these poisons may cause organic changes in nervous structure, and the cases may present symptoms of hysteria and of organic disease at the same time. They may, however, result in hysteria when no recognizable organic changes have taken place.
The motor and sensory paralysis of hysteria may be dependent upon struct ural alterations in the nerve-centres. Th. Leber (Deutsche med. Woch., Aug. 18, '92).
Of GO cases of hysteria in men, al cohol was the exciting cause in 18. Al coholic hysteria is similar in all points to hysteria from other causes.
Hysterical attacks are especially likely to be brought on by a fresh drinking bout in the subject of chronic alcohol ism, in whom also traumatic hysteria is especially liable to occur. Similar mani festations of hysteria are also met with after chloroform narcosis and in subjects of the morphine habit. Liihrmann (Ar chives de Neurol., Nov., '95).
Depressing or irritating mental and moral influences are potent factors in the causation of hysteria. To religious ex
citement may be attributed a number of cases of the disease. Whatever lessens vigor, exhausts, or depresses, may give rise to hysteria in the predisposed. Among causes thus acting may be placed diabetes, syphilis, typhoid fever, influ enza, chlorosis and ancemia, etc. Sexual excesses, masturbation, and ungratified sexual desire are depressing in character and tend, in persons hysterically posed, to act as exciting causes of the disease.
Hysteria occasioned by malaria modi fies the symptoms of the latter and con stitutes a form of malarial attack of per nicious appearance which is important to recognize. Bidon (La Mad. Mod., Mar. 2, '95).
Number of cases in which the advent of malarial fever seemed to exert a cura tive effect upon the hysteria from which the patient suffered. Attention called to a similar phenomenon in epileptic per sons. M. E. Marandon de Montyel (Presse Mad., Oct. 20, 1900).