De epilepsia disputatio

& caustic matter, either generated in the head itself or carried from elsewhere, followed by a convulsive contraction of the entire body—not perpetual, greater in some, less in others—(as the brain struggles to shake off what is troublesome) and consequently (because of the nerves dispersed from the brain throughout the rest of the body) with a loss of mind and senses, and sudden falling.

The distinction of epilepsy from related affections.

XIII.
It differs, therefore, from the species of spasm, emprosthotonos a condition where the body is bent forward, opisthotonos a condition where the body is bent backward, and tetanus: which are the differences of true convulsion: for in the already mentioned cases, the convulsion is perpetual, but in the comitial disease, it occurs at intervals of time. Finally, the sensible operations, as well as the principal ones, labor and suffer detriment in epilepsy: but in spasm, the principal functions remain unharmed.

XIV.
It also differs from apoplexy, because in that affection all parts of the body lose motion and sense simultaneously without convulsion, with the principal functions of the soul harmed: but in epilepsy, the motion of the animal faculty is not abolished, but only, as they say, depraved: nor does it result in paralysin paralysis as the other does.

XV.
Finally, it differs from the suffocation of the uterus: for although the speech is often taken away and they fall down, or at least cannot stand, when seized by this malady, nevertheless, as in epileptics, foam does not appear in the mouth, the eyes are not turned, nor is there a distension of the nerves; the person, even when suffocated, feels as they hear, and understands, though obtusely in the meantime: the epileptic, however, is deprived of all these.

XVI.
There are remaining affections, vertigo, incubus nightmare/sleep paralysis, and others of this kind, which as they are in some way neighbors to epilepsy, so they can also be easily distinguished from it by their own peculiar signs: for those with vertigo are not deprived of their senses, nor are they affected by a different seizure as in the manner of a spasm. Which also does not usually happen in those suffering from incubus. Although in this disease the matter is also not as poisoned as it is in epilepsy.