Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-16
A CASE OF NARCOLEPsY.
4 Child Who Drops into a Sound Sleep
Without Warning ut Any Minute I'm
the Day-An Embarrassing Introduce
ton.
From the Louisville Courier-Journal.

From the Louisville Courier Journal.
very strange case Of little girl, four years
old. suffering from narcolepsy, has been re-
ported In this city. The disease is Ye-ry recu-
liar one, and the patient S. liable to 60 off into
sound sleep at any moment. which may con-
t:i'ac for several hours, and at times, even two
or three days.
few weeks ago Dr. Robert II. Porter was
on Portland avenue. She first developed symp-
TOMS ABOUT year ago, after an attack OF
typhoid fever. The first indication her mother
had OF the trouble was the restlessness OF the
child, which would often have "nOdding
spells" These attacks of sleep gradually
increased in severity and frequency until
she used to have at least twenty a day, and
often as many as five or six at the table
while eating. These attacks only lasted for
about minute, but they were very profound
spell passed away. When she recovered the
child would Immediately resume whatever she
had been doing, perfectly innocent of the inter-
mission which had taken place. When the at
tacks would come on she would fall forward on
her face and large tumOr was produced on
her forehead from the frequent Commissions. A
few months ago she began to have spasHs in ad-
dltiOn to the narcolepsy. and became very de-
structire, having desire to kill everything she
came in contact with, and 1t required great care
to restrain her.
The case is very remarkable one, from the
development of the disease so early in life, as
with children.
THE USUAL TENDENCY
in such caseF is to idioey instead of insanity, as
1t Is a very rare occurrence for child not over
five years to become insane. The little girl was
put under treatment for the disease. and is now
perfectly recovered. not having had an attack
for "a couple of weeks. The freaks that have
been produced in cases Of this kind are very
curious and sometimes amusing. A couple of
years ago there was man afflicted with mar
coiepSy IN the City, whose attacks of sleep used
to last from two to three days, and come on once
or twice month. Sometime ago well-knOWn
sporting man. who was a narcOleptic, lived here
ana was source OF much curiosity. Occasion
ally he would astOniSh his friends by going to
sleep at tho bar while taking drink and remain
perfectly unconscious for few moments, when
he would wake up and take his drink, perfectly
unconscious of any interruption.
He created considerable amusement one night
at gentieman's house by falling sound to sleep
while Just in the act of receiving an Introduction
TO young lady, much to her discontinue and
his friends amusement 1t is impossible to
arouse the patient out of these sleeps and the
attacks are liable to come on at any moment
no matter how the victim may be situated
This mysterious and unaccountable disease was
first described about ten years ago, and since
tncn 1t has received much attention from neurOl-
0gsts. but its classification has not yet been
definitely settled. From the spasmOdc charac-
ter OF the disease and its frequent association
with epilepsy, physicians believe it one of the
branches OF this disease. and ere long no doubt
IL Will be given its appropriate position with
the epileptic class.