Infantile Convulsions. Gastro-intestinal disorders are among the most common causes of infantile convulsions, and they act in the ways already explained. The intestinal walls of infants permit the passage of proteids while those of adults do not, which may account for the greater frequency of nervous manifestations in children. These may be dependent upon constipation and if so are relieved by laxatives. And they are not always caused by improper food but often by an atonic condition of the alimentary tract with the formation of auto-toxins in the ways already described. Violent vomiting followed or preceded by convulsions which are usually of brief duration, constipation followed by diarrhea, all accompanied by great nervous irritability alternating with somnolence, - are the symptoms most commonly observed. Such cases may be attended by rise of temperature and a cutaneous eruption closely resembling that of measles but differing from it in that it may vanish and reappear in successive crops and does not seem to bear any relation to the temperature. These attacks are very likely to be preceded by urinary suppression and followed by polyuria, and often the specific autotoxin causing the disturbance may be obtained from the urine by appropriate methods.

The appearance in infantile constipation or diarrhea, of blood in the stools is of great importance, as it shows that there is abrasion of the mucous membrane by scybalous masses or that there is desquamation of epithelium. This would assist the absorption of poisonous materials and also allow infection from bacteria.

As the kidneys are at this time compelled to do additional eliminative work, the urine contains an increased amount of poisonous materials, both normal to it and the intestinal auto-poisons, and the renal tubules and epithelium may become congested and inflamed by the irritation of these abnormal toxic constituents. Should there be a nephritis caused in this way, symptoms of toxemia would very soon develop and if the poisons formed are of a virulent nature death might result. Conditions such as these undoubtedly contribute in the high mortality of infants in diseases of the gastro-intestinal tract.