Headache

(-āk.) (Med.) Pain in the head, sometimes referred to the forehead, sometimes to the occiput, and sometimes to the entire head. It is at times sharp or lancinating, like the pain of a neuralgic paroxysm; in other cases it is a dull, heavy pain. It is a symptom occurring in many affections, such as active cerebral congestion, all the e ential fevers, acute dys pep sia, . When not symptomatic of some affection, that is, occurring idiopathic ally, it is frequently due to neuralgia affecting either the cervico-occipital nerves or the supra-orbital division of the 5th pair. Pain limited to one side of the head, or hemicrania, may be due to neuralgia affecting the nerves just named. This affection is extremely common. It occurs in paroxysms, lasting usually from 12 to 24 hours, in some cases being of shorter duration, and occasionally continuing for 2 or 3 days. There are few persons who do not occasionally experience an attack after childhood or adult age, and there are very many who are subject to attacks recurring sometimes at regular, but usually at irregular intervals for many years, or during lifetime. A host of persons suffer from it who either do not consider it of sufficient importance to resort to medical treatment, or, having fouud medical treatment ineffectual, resign then is elves to it as an irremediable malady. [s. 443]