ETIOLOGY OF EPILEPSY

Abstract

Several years ago we undertook to collect material for a study of mental disorders in twins. A preliminary report of this study was read before the California Medical Association in 1931.¹In that report are given a general plan of the study and a tabulated summary of the findings in 127 pairs of twins with mental disorders which had been accumulated up to that time. Since then the work of collecting the material has been completed. We now have in our possession case records of 1,011 pairs of twins (including 8 sets of triplets) with mental disorders and a control group of 308 pairs of normal twins. This material is now being analyzed and prepared for publication. In the collection are included 107 pairs of twins with epilepsy. The object of this communication is twofold: first, to present an analysis of this group of cases, and second, to utilize