See also:

• CATALEPSY (from Gr. KarItNtA is, a seizure)

CATALEPSY (from Gr. KarItNtA is, a seizure)  , a See also:

• TERM

term applied to a See also:

• NERVOUS

nervous See also:

• AFFECTION (Lat. ad, and facere, to do something to, sc. a person)

affection characterized by the sudden suspension of sensation and volition, accompanied with a See also:

• PECULIAR

peculiar rigidity of the whole or of certain muscles of the See also:

• BODY

body . The subjects of See also:

• CATALEPSY (from Gr. KarItNtA is, a seizure)

catalepsy are in most instances See also:

• FEMALES

females of highly nervous temperament . The exciting cause of an attack is usually See also:

• MENTAL

mental emotion operating either suddenly, as in the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of a fright, or more gradually in the way of prolonged depression . The symptoms presented vary in different cases, and even in the same individual in different attacks . Sometimes the typical features of the disease are exhibited in a See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state of See also:

• COMPLETE

complete insensibility, together with a statue-like See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance of the body which will retain any attitude it may be made to assume during the continuance of the attack . In this See also:

• CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition the whole organic and vital functions appear to be reduced to the lowest possible limit consistent with See also:

• LIFE

life, and to such a degree as to simulate actual See also:

• DEATH

death . At other times considerable mental excitement will accompany the cataleptic symptoms, and the patient will sing or utter passionate exclamations during the See also:

• FIT

fit, being all the while quite unconscious . The attack may be of See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short duration, passing off within a few minutes . It may, however, last for many See also:

• HOURS, CANONICAL

hours, and in some rare instances persist for several days; and it is conceivable that in such cases the appearances presented might be mistaken for real death, as is alleged to have occasion-ally happened . Catalepsy belongs to the class of functional nervous disorders (see MUSCLE AND See also:

• NERVE (Lat. nervus, Gr. vevpov, a bowstring)

NERVE: See also:

• PATHOLOGY (from Gr. raBos, suffering)

Pathology) in which morbid See also:

• PHYSICAL

physical and psychical conditions are mixed up . Al-though it is said to occur in persons in perfect See also:

• HEALTH

health, careful inquiry will usually reveal some departure from the normal state, as is shown by the greater number of the recorded cases . More particularly is this true of females, in whom some See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of menstrual derangement is generally found to have preceded the cataleptic affection .

Catalepsy is sometimes associated with See also:

• EPILEPSY (Gr. &L, upon, and kaµ)3avew, to seize), or FALLING

epilepsy and with See also:

• GRAVE

grave forms of mental disease . In See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary cases, however, the mental phenomena See also:

• BEAR
• BEAR, BLACK
• BEAR, BROWN
• BEAR, GRIZZLY
• BEAR, ISABELLINE
• BEAR, WHITE

bear See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close resemblance to those witnessed in See also:

• HYSTERIA

hysteria . In many of the subjects of catalepsy there appears to be a remarkable weakness of the will, whereby the tendency to See also:

• LAPSE (Lat. lapses, a slip or departure)

lapse into the cataleptic state is not resisted but rather in some measure encouraged, and attacks may thus be induced by the most trivial circumstances .