Catalepsy is a rare complication of pregnancy, in which the woman lies in an unconscious condition.
Ferreres mistakes cases of catalepsy which have recovered consciousness for cases of apparent somatic death.
If the phenomenon in these cases takes the form of catalepsy there is a waxy-like rigidity of the muscles which will allow the limbs to be placed in various positions, and maintain them so for minutes or even hours.
In lethargy and catalepsy the perspiration very often has a cadaverous odor, which has probably occasionally led to a mistaken diagnosis of death.
This organ is very sensitive, and it is said that in cases of supposed catalepsy a woman cannot bear titillation of the clitoris without some visible movement.
At Bologna there was observed the case of a young female who after a profound grief had for forty-two successive days a state of catalepsy lasting from midday to midnight.
Behrends describes a case of catalepsy with mania, in which a dose of 40 gr.
In the Middle Ages the phenomena of trance and catalepsy were cited in proof of the theory that the soul can leave the body and afterwards return to it.
If it is catalepsy he is suffering from, then it is a kind of catalepsy I never heard of.
He tells of a physician in London who used "mesmerism" with his patients, and who produced catalepsy of the hands and arms and other wonderful effects by the application of magnets.
Braid gave the patient the little instrument, with the remark to the physician that it would produce catalepsy in both hands and arms; and such was the result.
An interesting experiment may be tried by throwing a patient into lethargy on one side and catalepsy on the other.
The experiments of Donato, a stage hypnotizer, are thus described: "After throwing the subjects into catalepsy he causes soft music to be played, which produces a rapturous expression.
To induce what is called hemi-lethargy and hemi-catalepsy is not difficult.
Some doctors, however, place it between catalepsy and somnambulism.
This is, however, a verging toward the somnambulistic stage, for in deep catalepsy the patient does not speak or hear.
Says he: "The 'catalepsy business' had more artistic merit.
Catalepsy never permits of suggestion in such a way as to be helpful to the patient.
Catalepsy is entirely pathological; experiment with it then is eminently undesirable, and certainly should not be undertaken except under the most careful precautions and by a physician.
Flexibilitas cerea and catalepsyentirely disappeared; gained considerably in weight; continues to show marked tendency to be influenced by occurrences in his environment.
No foot clonus, no Babinski; abdominal reflexes present, cremasteric not elicited; catalepsy not always present.
But persons have been resuscitated from a state of asphyxia or have recovered from a state of catalepsy or lethargy in whom, to all appearances, the respiratory and circulatory processes have been arrested.
This will serve at times to distinguish real death from catalepsyand its allied conditions.
Moreover, mental catalepsy has this feature in common with corporeal--that women are more subject to it than men.
Ill-will towards a person is a kind of catalepsy of the mind, and so is sulking; and in this mental catalepsy, as in the bodily, every limb remains immovably fixed in the position which it chanced to be in when the attack came on.
Catalepsy or Trance” in the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal, 1850, vol.
Patients labouring under an intense and prolonged paroxysm of catalepsy have been supposed to be dead, and have been interred alive.
Catalepsy can be produced artificially by hypnotisation.
It is that of the driver of the Rouen diligence, aged forty-five, who fell into a kind of soporific catalepsy on hearing of the sudden death of a man he had quarrelled with.
Contains chapters on premature interment, resuscitation from catalepsy or trance, etc.
That is all nonsense, forcatalepsy is just as much a reality as gout or bronchitis.
Next day it was noted that she was more stuporous, and she remained so for two weeks, now showing a decided tendency to catalepsy and more resistance than before, though not marked, except in the jaw.
Case 4), who showed no catalepsy from ordinary tests, kept her head off the pillow for a long time after it was raised to have her hair dressed.
Catalepsy is an important symptom because, although it occurred in slightly less than a third of our cases, it seems to be a peculiarity of the stupor reaction found but rarely in other benign psychoses.
Toward the latter part of this period, a distinct tendency to catalepsy appeared.
Negativism and catalepsy are never well developed except in stupor.
Henceforth this bewilderment ceased, and for 16 or 17 days she was essentially inactive for the most part, for a short time with a tendency to catalepsy and some resistiveness, and at that time lying with eyes partly closed.
But there was at no time any catalepsy when tested by moving her arms.
Sometimes there is catalepsy and lack of will, again there may be aimless resistance to external interference.
In only one of our cases was catalepsy definitely present without resistiveness, and in one other a “tendency to catalepsy” was noted without muscular rigidity being observed.
Later the stupor became persistent and during this stage she had catalepsy (and restiveness as well) in her left arm only.
When the Thyroid was discontinued the catalepsy grew worse, the exophthalmic goitre better; when resumed the catalepsy better, the exophthalmic goitre worse.
Catalepsy is sometimes associated with epilepsy and with grave forms of mental disease.
The subjects of catalepsyare in most instances females of highly nervous temperament.
When the curtain falls, the representative of authority is struggling against the catalepsy that is overcoming him.
As Mr. David's neck is entirely bare, it is not possible to suppose that the simulator of catalepsy wears an iron corset concealed beneath his clothing.
At the same time, as if to bring an experimental proof of this assertion, Lasigue published a report on catalepsy in persons of hysterical tendencies, which be afterward incorporated into his larger work.
Catalepsy is produced by a sudden sharp noise, or by the sight of a brightly gleaming object.
Finally, the somnambulistic condition proceeds from catalepsy or from lethargy by means of a slight pressure upon the vertex, and is particularly sensitive to every psychical influence.
Petetin, of Lyon, in his famous "Memoir on Catalepsy and Somnambulism.
If the marvelous fluid is unequally distributed through the system, catalepsy ensues.
Persons suffering of catalepsy are especially prone to see their own forms mixing with strange persons, who people the room in which they are confined.
This disease has so many forms that I forgot to tell you that during the first period of weakness, before the paralysis began, the strangest signs of catalepsy appeared--you know what catalepsy is.
But he resolved that during the following term he would do his best to galvanize Alan out of the catalepsy that he woefully foresaw was imminent.
She gradually becomes cataleptic, thecatalepsy disappears after about two minutes, when she lies in an apparently quiet sleep with complete muscular relaxation.
The doctor recognized catalepsy at the first visit.
I judge from the description of her condition, given by her maid, and admitted by this man, that she was suffering from an attack of catalepsy when he was summoned.
