HYSTERIA

(Lat.), n. f. Hi2s(hus)-te(te2)'ri2-a3. From vo-rrfpa, the womb. Fr., hysterie. Ger., Hysterie. It., isterismo, isteria. Sp., histeria, histerismo. 1. A functional affection of the nervous system, which is almost limited to women, and more frequently to young, unmarried women, who have no settled occupation or aim in life. It was long supposed to proceed from some disturbance of the uterus (hence the name). Latterly competent investigators have referred the source of the trouble to the ovary. Hammond expre es the opinion that ungratified sexual desire is not an exciting cause. The affection consists in a voluntary or involuntary imitation of some pathological condition, and the field covers the entire range of diseases susceptible of imitation. No lesion of the brain, spinal cord, or sympathetic system has ever been found to account for the phenomena, but from the character of those phenomena Hammond cla es h. as a cerebro-spinal disease. [D.] See Hysterical CONVULSION. 2. A genus of the Orchidece, tribe Neottiece. 3. Of Ehrenberg, a cohort of Fungi, including Placentium, Hysterium, Solenarium, Triblidium, and Phacidium. The Hysteracei are: Of Rabenhorst, a subtribe of the Phacidiacei; of Bonorden, a family of the Pyre no mycetes, including Hysterium, Phacidium, etc. The HysteriacecK of Corda are a family of Sclergasteres, including the Stegiaceas, HysteriacecK, etc. [B, 42, 170 (a, 24).] Abdominal h. An hysterical affection characterized by swelling and tenderne of the abdomen and fever. Its relation to menstruation, the absence of increased pain from continued pre ure on the abdomen, the history of the patient, the improvement under appropriate treatment, etc., may be required to diagnostic ate it from peritonitis. [D, 25.] Cerebral h. Lat, h. cephaiica. H. which simulates apoplexy or some other form of cerebral disease. Da Costa reports a case which was a ociated with ovarian disease. [D, 47.] Epidemic h. H. or h.-like disturbances apparently acquired by a ociation with hysterical patients. [D.] Epileptiform h., Epileptoid h. Hystero-epilepsy. [A, 42.] Feigned h. A simulation of the "whims and vagaries" of h. to elicit sympathy or procure compliance with wishes or caprices. [D, 47.] H. cataleptic a. H. in which the patient, instead of suffering from the ordinary convulsions of h., is seized with catalepsy, and remains in the position placed until the attack is relieved, [a, 40.] H. febricosa. See FEBRIS tertian a asthmatic a.'H.. lib i dinos a. Of Sauvages, a form of hystero-epilepsy in which the body rapidly alternates between opisthotonos and the ordinary dorsal decubitus. [D, 34.] H. major. Fr., grande hysterie. It., grande isterismo. See HYSTERO-EPILEPSY. H. vag a. See H. (1st def.). Intermittent h. H. a ociated with the typical phenomena of intermittent fever. [D, 70.] Masked h. Fr., hysterie fruste. A form of h. occurring principally in men, and in which the symptoms so much resemble those of organic diseases, such as tuberculosis and cerebral lesions, that the real cause is very difficult to diagnostic ate. [Debove, " Bull. gen. de therap.," Dec. 15, 1882, p. 525 (a, 40).] Toxic h. Fr., hysterie toxique. H. due to poisoning, as with carbon disulphide, lead, mercury, etc. [a, 18.] Traumatic h. Fr., hysterie traumatique, hystero-trauma tis me. H. due to traumatism. [Bitot and Lamarque, "Jour, de m6d. de Bordeaux," Dec. 9, 1888 (a, 18).] Visceral h. Fr., hysterie viscerale. H. resulting in functional or organic visceral disease in consequence of perverted nervous action. ["Arch, de neurol.," Jan., 1885, p. 139.] HYSTERIAS (Lat.), [s. 423]