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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900. Excerpt: ... or permanent dementia. The graver disturbances in chorea minor comprise maniacal delirium, hallucinations (Marce, Seglas), and melancholia (Leidesdorf, Marie), the last being somewhat rare. These occur in the course of and accompany the neurosis, and when it ceases they usually also disappear. The frequency of the excited form with hallucinations is attested by the number of the cases recorded in current medical literature. While chorea is not very fatal in itself, the mental defects sequent to it are often grave and irremediable. The combination of this hereditary degenerative neurosis and the psychosis is most suggestive. Whether the imperfect neural stability of the victims is wrought upon and destroyed by some at present unknown toxine of bacterial origin, as is probable in chorea insaniens, is uncertain, but the hallucinations, mental confusion, and subsequent dementias all favour the theory. Melancholia, --As might be expected from the buoyant nature of the child's mind, morbid depression is a far rarer mental disease than pathological exaltation. Emminghaus, in a series of 199 mixed cases of the psychoses of childhood, could only determine twelve per cent to have had melancholic symptoms, and nearly every one of these was approaching the period of puberty. Indeed, it is only toward this age that ideas of self-sacrifice could be expected, though in younger children false religious training rnay lead to over-conscientiousness, and thoughts of possible failure to perform religious and other duties may obtain. These, however, cannot be regarded as types of a true melancholia. The child afflicted with the genuine form withdraws from the companionship and games of his companions, neglects his lessons, becomes introspective, loses his interest in life and ...

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