- ℞ Pot. bromid., gr. xv.
- Ammon. bromid., gr. xv.
- Sp. ammon. aromat., m. xx.
- Infus. quassia, ad ℥j
M. Ft. haust. ter die, sumendus.
According to the age of the patient so must the dose be regulated; at the same time, children bear the drug very well. The average quantity to begin with for a child of ten or twelve years has been twenty grains thrice daily.
In this manner I have personally treated about two hundred cases, and in all of these most careful records have been kept, not only of their past history, present condition, etc., but of their progress during observation. All these, however, are not available for the present inquiry. It is necessary in order to judge of the true effect of a drug in epilepsy that the patient should be under its influence continuously for a certain period of time. Now, a large number of patients, especially amongst the working classes, cannot or will not be induced to persevere in the prolonged treatment necessary in so chronic a disease. They either weary of the monotony of drinking physic, especially if, as is often the case, they are relieved for the time, or other circumstances prevent their carrying out the regimen to its full extent. The minimum time I have fixed as a test for judging the influence of the bromides on epileptic seizures is six months, and the maximum in my own experience extends to four years.[C] All other cases have been eliminated. I have arranged this experience in the form of tables for reference, in which will be seen at a glance—1st, the average number of attacks per month in each case prior to treatment; 2nd, the average number of attacks per month after treatment; and 3rd, in the event of these being fewer than one seizure per month, the total number during the last six months of treatment.
Table I.—Sixty Cases of Epilepsy, showing Results of Treatment by the Bromides during a Period of from 6 Months to 1 Year.
| No. of Case. | Average number attacks per month before treatment. | Average number attacks per month after treatment. | Number of attacks during six months of treatment. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 900 | 60 | — |
| 2 | 600 | 5 | — |
| 3 | 600 | 90 | — |
| 4 | 450 | 12 | — |
| 5 | 300 | 2 | — |
| 6 | 240 | 90 | — |
| 7 | 180 | 60 | — |
| 8 | 150 | 5 | — |
| 9 | 150 | 8 | — |
| 10 | 150 | 7 | — |
| 11 | 120 | 3 | — |
| 12 | 120 | 120 | — |
| 13 | 90 | 3 | — |
| 14 | 90 | 9 | — |
| 15 | 70 | 20 | — |
| 16 | 60 | 4 | — |
| 17 | 60 | 6 | — |
| 18 | 60 | 90 | — |
| 19 | 30 | 7 | — |
| 20 | 30 | 1 | — |
| 21 | 30 | 2 | — |
| 22 | 30 | 10 | — |
| 23 | 16 | 8 | — |
| 24 | 16 | 2 | — |
| 25 | 12 | 4 | — |
| 26 | 12 | 12 | — |
| 27 | 12 | 3 | — |
| 28 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | 8 | 2 | — |
| 30 | 8 | 1 | — |
| 31 | 8 | 1 | — |
| 32 | 8 | — | 4 |
| 33 | 8 | 1 | — |
| 34 | 8 | 4 | — |
| 35 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | 5 | — | 5 |
| 37 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | 4 | 2 | — |
| 39 | 4 | 1 | — |
| 40 | 4 | 1 | — |
| 41 | 4 | 1 | — |
| 42 | 4 | — | 2 |
| 43 | 4 | — | 3 |
| 44 | 2 | — | 3 |
| 45 | 2 | — | 2 |
| 46 | 2 | — | 1 |
| 47 | 2 | — | 1 |
| 48 | 2 | — | 4 |
| 49 | 2 | — | 1 |
| 50 | 2 | — | 2 |
| 51 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 52 | 1 | — | 2 |
| 53 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 54 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 55 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 56 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 57 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 58 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 59 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 60 | 1 | 150 | — |
Table II.—Thirty-two Cases of Epilepsy, showing Results of Treatment by the Bromides during a period of from 1 to 2 Years.
| No. of Case. | Average number attacks per month before treatment. | Average number attacks per month after treatment. | Number of attacks during six months of treatment. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 900 | 60 | — |
| 2 | 600 | 120 | — |
| 3 | 300 | 30 | — |
| 4 | 180 | 60 | — |
| 5 | 150 | — | 2 |
| 6 | 150 | 1 | — |
| 7 | 90 | 9 | — |
| 8 | 90 | 15 | — |
| 9 | 60 | 2 | — |
| 10 | 6 | — | 4 |
| 11 | 30 | — | 1 |
| 12 | 30 | 4 | — |
| 13 | 30 | 2 | — |
| 14 | 30 | 3 | — |
| 15 | 16 | — | 8 |
| 16 | 12 | 3 | — |
| 17 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | 8 | — | 3 |
| 19 | 8 | — | 4 |
| 20 | 8 | — | 1 |
| 21 | 8 | — | 10 |
| 22 | 6 | — | 1 |
| 23 | 4 | — | 4 |
| 24 | 4 | — | 4 |
| 25 | 4 | 2 | — |
| 26 | 2 | — | 1 |
| 27 | 2 | — | 2 |
| 28 | 2 | — | 2 |
| 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | 1 | — | 3 |
| 32 | 1 | — | 3 |
Table III.—Seventeen Cases of Epilepsy, showing Results of Treatment by the Bromides during a Period of from Two to Three Years.