A sociological study, the text reports data concerning epilepsy and public provisions for the epileptic. The general state of persons with epilepsy is discussed in terms of definition, general conditions, etiology, recovery or improvement, numbers in the United States, trends in numbers, sex distribution, age distribution, age at onset, race and nativity, other defects, death rates, marital status, and amount of schooling. The following areas are also examined: the legal treatment of persons with epilepsy through legislation and judicial decisions; institutional provisions for persons with epilepsy, including organization of institutions, general regulations, work of institutions, costs, private benefactions, county and city institutions, numbers in regular day schools, numbers in institutions with mental defectives or mentally ill, and private institutions; and non-institutional provisions of employment, colonies, and parole. Public and private organizations concerned with persons who are epileptic are mentioned, and conclusions about work for persons with epilepsy in the United States are presented. Six appendixes provide data on habits of temperance, clinical diagnoses, discharge rates, ratios of residential placement by states, residential admissions by age and diagnosis, and admissions and separations from institutions. The bibliography contains 909 references. (DF)