De epilepsia disputatio

muscles of the jaws, whence they gnash their teeth and groan, as it were; 2. there are those who suffer from difficulty of respiration and snore; others, conversely, breathe freely, without any snoring; 3. there are those who emit foam, whereas in others it does not appear; 4. there are those who emit a cry, while others fall without any cry; 5. there are those who yawn; there are also those to whom yawning does not occur; 6. finally, there are those who, both before they fall and after they have fallen, look fierce; others not at all, etc.

XXXVII.
There is no one who doubts that the paroxysms of Epilepsy are so ugly and so detestable to look at that, if the sick saw themselves at that time, they would clearly not want to live. Indeed, it is even dangerous if they fall near wells or rivers, and very unseemly if they fall in the marketplace or in temples.

XXXVIII.
It is therefore just that we point out the signs that portend an epilepsy that is future and already beginning: for thus the sick will be able to easily hide themselves, place themselves in bed, and avoid shame and danger. They will also love, admire, and respect the physician for this reason. They will obey him more willingly and, as Hippocrates says, they will commit themselves to him more boldly, will show themselves prepared to sustain everything, and will strenuously help him in attacking the disease.

XXXIX.
The beginnings of this sort are heaviness of the whole head, whistling and ringing of the ears, turbulent dreams, sparks and images hovering before the eyes, indigestion, tension of the genitals, nocturnal pollutions, pallor of the face which is otherwise greater, a certain immobility of the whole body, thin and crude urine, convulsions of the neck and back, and others of this kind, which, when all or most of them appear, usually announce that an attack is immediately at hand.