One hundred and seventy-six children with anoxic convulsions were studied. These children had electroencephalograms, electrocardiograms and pneumograms taken simultaneously during wakefulness, natural sleep, and during activation procedures such as intermittent photic stimulation and hyperventilation, whenever the latter test could be carried out. In each case a strong compression of the ocular globes of a duration not exceeding 10 sec. was carried out and sometimes repeated 2 or 3 times. This latter manoeuvre allowed to provoke anoxic convulsions in 24 children with a mean age of 28 months, this number amounting to 13.5 per cent of all the cases. In these 24 children the electrocephalograms, electrocardiograms and pneumograms were normal before the ocular compression. During this compression, however, marked changes in cardiac and/or respiratory rhythm were observed which explained the appearance of clinical and electroencephalographic convulsive signs. The modifications of the cardiac and respiratory rhythm as well as their consequences from an EEG and clinical point of view are described. The physiopathogenesis of anoxic convulsions is described. It is pointed out that neurologists and pediatricians are often unaware of the possible anoxic mechanism of childhood convulsions.