Eclampsia Parturientium

In Medical Jurisprudence. Puerperal convulsions. Convulsive movements, loss of consciousness, and coma occurring during pregnancy, parturition or the puerperiurn. The attack closely resembles the convulsions of epilepsy. The disease is often fatal, causing the death of the patient in about one-fourth of all the cases, and foetal death in about one-half. Mental defects may result from eclampsia. and are occasionally permanent American Text-book of Obstetrics. The word eclampsia Is of Greek origin Signifirat splendorem, fulgorem, eflvlgentiom, ct emicai qualcs ex oculis aliquando prodcunt. Mctaphorice sumitur dc emicatione flamma vitalis in pi. ct cctatis vigore. Castelli, Lex. Medic. There can be but little doubt that many of the tragical cases of infanticide proceed from this cause. The criminal judge and lawyer cannot inquire with too much care into the symptoms of this disease, in order to discover the guilt of the mother, where it exists, and to ascertain her innocence, where it does not. See two well-reported cases of this kind in the Boston Medical Journal, vol. 27, no. 10, p. 161. commands something: it extends either to the whole country or only to some particular provinces. Edicts are somewhat similar to public proclamations. Their difference consists in this, — that the former have authority and form of law in themselves, whereas the latter are, at most, declarations of a law before enacted. Among the Romans this word sometimes signified a citation to appear before a judge. The edicts of the emperors, also called constitutiones principium, were new laws which they made of their own motion, either to decide cases which they had foreseen, or to abolish or change some ancient laws. They were different from rescripts or decrees, which were answers given in deciding questions brought before them. These edicts contributed to the formation of the Georgian, Hermogenian, Theodosian, and Justinian codes. See Dig. 1. 4. 1. 1; Inst. 1. 2. 7; Code 1. 1; Nov. 139. A special edict was a judgment in a case; a general edict was in effect a statute. The praetor, at the commencement of his year of office, published a body of rules as to the remedies he would grant. In the reign of Hadrian (A. D. 131) a codified edict was published, made by Salvius Julianus, and called the Edictum Salvianum or Perpetuum.

In medical jurisprudence, The name of a disease accompanied by apoplectic convulsions, and which produces aberration of mind at _ childbirth.