The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-06
CURING EPILEPSY.
DR.. Gibier Thinks His Method of Value
i'm Nervous Diseases Generally.


DIR. Paul Gibier. president OF the New
York Psychological Society and director OF
the Pasteur Institute, read paper before
the Medical Society at the Academy of
Medicine. on Forty-third street, near Fifth
avenue. last night on "a New Agent In the
Treatment Of Epilepsy" The material
used is the gray matter from the vital or
gans of the sheep. Somewhat similar
treatment has excited interest in FaTis.
DIR. Gibier's paper covers responses to IN
Quiries from physicians all over the country
relative to the new treatment
DR.. Gibier said that an impression had
got abroad that patients treated for the bite
of a mad dog had been cured of epilepsy by
the anti-rabie Injections. Ho did not think
the authorities of the Pasteur Institute in
Paris were responsible for this idea, and
his own experience led him TO believe that
the Pasteur injections would produce but
temporary relief at best In the case OF an
epileptic. Acting upon the method pro-
posed by Bro Sequard DR.. Gibier de-
cided 10 test the treatment with the in1ec-
tion OF extract OF gray, nervous substance.
Brown-Sequard's treatment DR.. Gibier be-
lieves to be of more value than was at first
thought, and he intends to publish study
of il. DR.. Giber calls his extract nervine.
He told of its good effect upon young
Frenchnlan who belonged to an epilepIlc
family and said:
II tried also, and exclusively, the injec-
tons In a base of idiocy complicated with
epilepsy. in boy of 10 years. After few
days the attacks were reduced from two,
three and four daily to one in two or three
days or to one or two daily, which were
much milder, and instead Of remaining
comatose for several hours. or even one en-
tire day. the patient rallied shortly after
each attack. His relatives assert that he is
more intelligent than before the treatment.
In two other cases, men treated in coDjunc-
tion with DR.. Dana, the improvement of the
general condition was noticeable, and the
patients realized it so thoroughly that at
much inconvenience they do not hesitate TO
attend several times weekly to receive the
painless injections.
II am inclined to recognize reliable
principle In the theory OF Br0wn-Sequard.
and consider that his action of Suggestion
explains little OF the effect Of injections In
epilepsy. l have substituted other sub
stances without the knowledge of the pa
tients, but was obliged TO return to the
former fluid in consequence Of the appear
ance OF the paroxysmal phenomenon.
while / do not think epilepsy can be
cured in all cases by the nervous transfu-
sion, am inclined to believe that it may
improve the condition of the afflicted even
when used without any other treatment. 1t
may help up in relieving the patients from
the Inconvenience Of bromide. 1t will GER
tainiy add'to the benefit derivable from the
other therapeutic agents. In future paper
/ will give the demonstrations OF the power
ful actions of the injections made with the
extract of fresh organs and especially OF the
fluid extracted from the gray substance in
nervous diseases other than epilepsy. / am
of the opinion that we are approaching
new field In therapeutics generally, which
promises 10 be fecund In its results"