In writing on the subject of Epilepsy and its
Insanity, I am'Constantly reminded of the difficulty
of the subject. In studying this form of insanity
one frequently meets with something which seems incompatible with one's previous ideas or observations.
This has a tendency to dter one at the outset. However, knowing as I do, that the smallest observations
of one man, insignificant as they may seem to him,
may yet be of great value to another whose powers of
I
deduction may be greater, I do not hesitate to commit
to paper some observations of my own concerning this
fell disease. Here in this large asylum where I
come into daily contact with some 200 insane epileptics, I have opportunities not afforded to many. Opportunities which I hope I have made good use of.In the first place, I may state that I will try
to make my paper as simple as possible without the
aid of any unnecessary padding.I shall start by giving a rough classification
of some forms of this epileptic insanity I have met
j with here. I do not intend this to be an arbitrary !
classification, but to serve as a guide. One is too
apt, now-a-days, to slump all the insane epileptics
under the the term "dement". How much this may mean
or how little! What a large field of imaginative is
left to the hearer! "Oh he's only an epileptic dement",
we hear one say, as if that was the beginning and the
end of his case. Here then is my classification
