Meprobamate in the Treatment of Epilepsy of Children

Recurrent convulsive seizures (epilepsy) are among the most persistent and perplexing of childhood disorders. We assign the term "minor motor" to the attacks that appear initially in early life, usually between 3 and 12 months of age, occur almost entirely in the presence of organic brain damage, and are clinically manifested as (1) the akinetic type, in which there is a sudden nod or dropping of the head, usually forward, or an abrupt loss of muscular control, resulting in a precipitous fall; the patient is usually able to rise almost immediately but may appear disoriented for several minutes thereafter, and (2) the massive myoclonic type, which is characterized by a variety of clinical symptoms but most frequently consists of a sudden bending of the head with simultaneous extension of the upper extremities and flexion of the thighs upon the abdomen, accompanied by a cry.

The electroencephalogram frequently indicates the presence