History of four cases of eclampsia nutans, or the 'salaam' convulsions of infancy, with suggestions as to its origin and future treatment / [William Newnham].

  • Newnham, W. (William), 1790-1865.
Date:
[1849]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: History of four cases of eclampsia nutans, or the 'salaam' convulsions of infancy, with suggestions as to its origin and future treatment / [William Newnham]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Case I.—Miss-—, jet. 16 months. My attention was first called to the state of my little patient on the first of January, 1839 ; on the previous day, a heavy and peculiar look about the eyes had been noticed, and which continued in a greater or less degree throughout the progress of this affection. From the belief that her stomach was the cause of this oppression, she had taken on the previous night, at bed-time, a dose of calomel. Up to this date there had been no observation of any similar state, and the process of dentition had gone on favourably. On the 1st of January occurred this peculiar nodding of the head, which happened thrice on that day ; this bowing rapidly increased till there were several attacks during each twenty-four hours, and generally two, of a more aggravated kind, one upon first waking after her night’s sleep, and the other upon equally awaking from her morning nap. During these attacks, which consisted in a for¬ cible bowing forward of the body, repeated in rapid succession, seventy, eighty, a hundred, and upon one occasion, a hundred and forty times, she appeared to suffer considerably ; other muscles of the body (chiefly flexors) were thrown into involuntary contraction —she became agitated—the pulse was quickened—and she was left languid and disposed to sleep, rather, I believe, from exhaustion than from any well-defined epileptic tendency. During these paroxysms, she very constantly raised her left arm to the corres¬ ponding side of the head. About^the middle of March, it was observed that she had lost considerable power of the right arm, which as well as the right leg, became ultimately paralytic. By the middle of April, she had ceased to be able to crawl, or move herself at all; and her coun¬ tenance showed cerebral distress. This, as well as the other symp¬ toms, became gradually aggravated, till the latter end of May, at which time (on the 26th) it wras observed that she got off for her morning sleep with difficulty ; she awoke .several times with violent screaming, and contraction of the whole body, and the usual attack which followed this morning sleep came on with great contraction of various and antagonist muscles, the head being first drawn back¬ wards, and then violently bowed down to the feet, which were also drawn up towards the body, so as to contract it into the form of a bow : she then fell again into uneasy slumbers, awaking frequently en sursaut, and with much convulsive action of the flexor muscles, so that the hands and feet were obliged to be sedulously watched.