Miotonias.

In his introduction Lanari begs forbearance for the use of the single word "myotonias" as the title of his book, inasmuch as it gives the impression that the various diseases in which the symptom is prominent are nosologically related. But he goes on to say that the work of other investigators and his own studies point in that direction. He then discusses the history of this symptom since the first description by Bell, in 1832. In the analysis of the etiology he separates the hereditary from the acquired myotonias. In the former the hereditary factor is an autosomic, dominant trait. In myotonia acquisita hypothyroidism is extremely frequent, but he considers it only an exciting factor, for even after the myotonia disappears with treatment the response of the muscles to acetylcholine is the same as that in the hereditary forms. Furthermore, the author discovered evidences of status dysraphicus in both his