The "soothing" portion of such preparations is some essential oil, like aniseed, caraway or dill, and there are often present strong drugs unsuitable for children. According to the analyses made by the British Medical Association, the following are the _essential_ ingredients of some well-known preparations for children:
Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Potassium Bromide, Syrup. Aniseed, and Syrup (sugar and water).
Woodward's Gripe Sodium Bicarbonate, Water. Caraway, and Syrup.
Atkinson and Barker's Pot. and Magnesium Royal Infant Bicarbonate, several Preservative. Oils, and Syrup.
Mrs. Johnson's American Spirits of Salt, Common Soothing Syrup. Salt, and Honey.
Convulsions During Pregnancy. Send for a doctor instantly.
Feigned Epilepsy is an all-too-common "ailment". The false fit, as a rule, is very much overdone. The face is red from exertion instead of livid from heart and lung embarrassment, the spasms are too vigorous but not jerky enough, the skin is hot and dry instead of hot and clammy, the hands may be clenched, but the thumb will be _outside_ instead of _inside_ the palm, foam comes in volumes but is unmixed with blood, and the whole thing is kept up far too long. Almost before a crowd can gather an epileptic seizure is over, whereas the sham sufferer does not begin seriously to exhibit his questionable talents until a crowd has appeared.
Pressure on the eye, which will blink while the "sufferer" will swear; bending back the thumb and pressing in the end of the nail, when the hand will be withdrawn in feigned but not in true epilepsy; blowing snuff up the nose, which induces sneezing in the sham fit alone, or using a cold douche will all expose the miserable trick.
It is, unfortunately, far easier to suggest than to apply these tests, for anyone foolish enough to try experiments within reach of the wildly-waving arms will probably get such a buffet as will damp his ardour for amateur diagnosis for some time.
"Do not muse at me, my most worthy friends; I have a strange infirmity, which is nothing To those that know me." "Macbeth," Act III.
Starr's table shows that combinations of all types of epilepsy are possible, and that mental epilepsy is rare:
Grand mal 1150 Grand and petit mal 589 Petit mal 179 Jacksonian 37 Mental 16 Grand mal and Jacksonian 10 Grand mal, petit mal and Jacksonian 8 Grand mal and mental 3 Grand mal, petit mal and mental 6 Petit mal and mental 2 Fits by day only 660 Fits day and night 880 Fits by night only 380