The principal ways in which these degenerations manifest themselves are pains, mental agony and derangement, temporary cessation of functions, cramps, involuntary movements and similar disturbances. The names generally applied to them are neuralgia and neuritis,--causing pains in the nerves of certain parts of the body; neurasthenia,--consisting mainly of the complete relaxation of tension in the nervous system, causing sadness, inability for work, etc.; asthma, cramp-like cessation of certain functions of the small vessels of the lungs, alveoli, which impedes respiration; epilepsy, temporary cramp in the greater part of the body, causing loss of consciousness, involuntary movements of the limbs, etc.; St. Vitus's dance,--a similar affection, usually in children. While the complicated nature of nerve diseases requires very careful treatment of great individual variety, the general rule is that the re-enforcement of the nerves with the material of which they are built, together with regeneration of the blood, which, when in normal condition prevents such disturbances, will bring about a cure. Of course this is sometimes a slow process, especially when, as in the case of epilepsy, the nervous disease is of an hereditary character, and the resistant power of the nerves is correspondingly weak. In regard to one of the most disastrous diseases, caused by degeneration of the most important nerve i.e. the Vagus, see under "Catarrh"--section VI. THERAPY. _Diet_: If the entire nervous system is in a condition of pathological irritability, as in cases of neurasthenia and hysteria, it is the object of rational diet to keep all irritations from such a vibrating organism. To prescribe: "No coffee, no tea, no alcohol, no strong spices and no tobacco," will do no harm, and in most cases will prove beneficial. Nothing is more absurd than the attempt to strengthen nervous people by the use of alcohol. When forbidden alcohol entirely, it will very often transpire that some symptom, like headache, neuralgia, etc., was due to its use. Whenever the general conditions permit the continued use of alcohol to a certain extent, it must not be left to the patient's judgment to determine how far this may go, but definite quantities must be prescribed in each individual case, although the patient's experience may be of assistance in determining the quantity. (Moritz). Good results have been obtained by limiting the meat diet of extremely nervous patients, and prescribing for them a diet consisting principally of milk, eggs, cereals, vegetables and fruits. In this way the irritating effect of many of the meat extracts is avoided. At the same time the digestive work of the stomach, reduced by the limited meat diet, and the stimulation of stool, always promoted by a prevalence of vegetable elements in the diet, exercises a beneficial influence on the condition of the patient.