|
Epilepsy - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
|
Epilepsy : (noun)
1: a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by
loss of consciousness and convulsions
Based on WordNet 2.0
|
|
Epilepsy : \Ep"i*lep`sy\, n. [L. epilepsia, Gr. ? a seizure, the
``falling sickness,'' fr. ? to take besides, seize, attack;
'epi` upon, besides _ ? to take: cf. F. ['e]pilepsie. Cf.
Catalepsy.] (Med.)
The ``falling sickness,'' so called because the patient falls
suddenly to the ground; a disease characterized by paroxysms
(or fits) occurring at interval and attended by sudden loss
of consciousness, and convulsive motions of the muscles.
--Dunglison.
Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
|
|
EPILEPSY, med. jur. A disease of the brain, which occurs in paroxysms, with
uncertain intervals between them.
2. These paroxysms are characterized by the loss of sensation, and
convulsive motions of the muscles. When long continued and violent, this
disease is very apt to end in dementia. (q.v.) It gradually destroys the
memory, and impairs the intellect, and is one of the causes of an unsound
mind. 8 Ves. 87. Vide Dig. 50, 16, 123; Id. 21, 1, 4, 5.
Based on Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [Bouvier_Law_Dictionary]:
|
|
Epilepsy : Epilepsy (seizure disorder): When nerve cells in the brain fire electrical impulses at a rate of up to four times higher than normal, this causes a sort of electrical storm in the
brain, known as a seizure. A pattern of repeated seizures is referred to as epilepsy. Known causes include head injuries, brain tumors, lead poisoning, maldevelopment of the brain, genetic and
infectious illnesses. But in fully half of cases, no cause can be found. Medication controls seizures for the majority of patients.
Based on Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [Bouvier_Law_Dictionary]:
|
|
|
|
|
