A Case of Family Periodic Paralysis

Since comparatively few cases of this disease have been reported I feel justified in recording one recently seen.REPORT OF A CASE History.=m-.M., a young man, aged 181/2 years, a dental student, had a pater- nal cousin who died of cancer at the age of 30, his maternal grandmother died of diabetes, two maternal cousins were insane, three maternal uncles had periodic family paralysis, of whom one died in an attack at the age of 35, another died of pneumonia at 27, the third is living.He is 29 years old, and has had no attack for three years.The three uncles were not married.In two the attacks began at the age of 16 and in the third at 15.The one who died of pneumonia had the last attack about six months before his death.Otherwise there was nothing of importance in the family history.The parents could not tell whether cases had appeared in previous generations.He is one of five children.The four are in perfect health.Since early childhood he stammered slightly.Otherwise the history was negative.He had never suffered from constipation.His first attack was at the age of 14 years, during the evening.It was char¬ acterized by marked weakness in all extremities lasting a half an hour.He did not remember any exciting cause.The second seizure at IS, at night, completely paralyzed all extremities.In the third, eight months later, he became paralyzed in the evening and fully recovered in the morning.In the fourth attack, eight months later, he was paralyzed in the morning and did not recover until noon¬