A retrospective diagnosis of epilepsy in three historical figures: St Paul, Joan of Arc and Socrates.

It has been suggested that undiagnosed epilepsy profoundly influenced the lives of several key figures in history. Historical sources recounting strange voices and visions may in fact have been describing manifestations of epileptic seizures rather than more supernatural phenomena. Well-documented accounts of such experiences exist for three individuals in particular: Socrates, St Paul and Joan of Arc. The great philosopher Socrates described a 'daimonion' that would visit him throughout his life. This daimonion may have represented recurrent simple partial seizures, while the peculiar periods of motionlessness for which Socrates was well known may have been the result of co-existing complex partial seizures. St Paul's religious conversion on the Road to Damascus may have followed a temporal lobe seizure which would account for the lights, voices, blindness and even the religious ecstasy he described. Finally, Joan of Arc gave a detailed narrative on the voices she heard from childhood during her Trial of Condemnation. Her auditory hallucinations appear to follow sudden acoustic stimuli in a way reminiscent of idiopathic partial epilepsy with auditory features. By analysing passages from historical texts, it is possible to argue that Socrates, St Paul and Joan of Arc each had epilepsy.

Frederic Gibbs and his contributions to epilepsy surgery and electroencephalography.

Frederic Gibbs' (1903-1992) long research career was devoted to the understanding and treatment of epileptic phenomena and closely associated with the development of electroencephalography (EEG). After medical school, he joined the Harvard Neurological Unit at Boston City Hospital directed by Stanley Cobb. In the early 1930s, Gibbs developed a thermoelectric blood flow probe and, with William Lennox, proved in animals and humans that a seizure increases cerebral blood flow. By 1934, Gibbs became a pioneer in the field of EEG while working at Harvard with Hallowell Davis and Lennox, and was the first to convincingly record and report EEG findings in epilepsy and states of altered consciousness. Several years later, Gibbs and Lennox were the first to recommend cerebral excisions in several patients with uncontrolled epilepsy based on EEG. Moving to the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1944, Gibbs founded a consultation clinic for epilepsy, performed the first EEG depth recordings using pneumoencephalography-guided stereotaxy, and noted that sleep EEGs in patients with psychomotor seizures frequently disclosed temporal epileptic patterns. Gibbs convinced Percival Bailey to collaborate on patients with refractory temporal lobe psychomotor seizures without tumors. In 1947, the first nonlesional temporal lobe excisions based on EEG localization were performed in these patients, and, by 1948, anterior temporal lobectomy had become their procedure of choice. Gibbs and Lennox received the coveted Lasker Award among other honors as pioneers in establishing the modern era of epilepsy diagnosis and treatment.

[Dostoevsky's epileptic experiences and his descriptions of epilepsy in the mirror of modern neurology]. / Dosztojevszkij epilepsziás tapasztalatai és epilepszia-ábrázolása a mai neurológia tükrében.

The aim of the study is to present Fyodor Mihailovich Dostoevsky's epilepsy through the results of the related historical and contemporary medical literature, further, to show how the illness is reflected in the writer's biographical data and in the famous patient characters displayed in his great romans. Nowadays it is well presumed that the writer could have had temporal lobe epilepsy with secondary generalized seizures, the symptoms of which he by no means was producing throughout his life. This can be tracked easily by his own descriptions of his seizures, from the memories of his wife and his contemporaries, as well as the symptoms of his epileptic characters in his novels. This theme has been widely dealt with by neurologists, epileptologists and literary experts all over the world. Author details the literature research, the related works and establishes her own concept concerning Dostoevsky's epilepsy.

A diary of epilepsy in the early 1800s.

This article describes the diary of a man from 19th-century England (1829-1834) that documents the onset and course of his wife's epilepsy after a stroke. Her stroke produced aphasia and right hemiparesis, but her epilepsy was the diary's focus and caused the greatest concern. The diary documents the history of her epilepsy in detail. In addition to tonic-clonic seizures, she experienced frequent bouts of status epilepticus and complex partial seizures. The diary contains some of the earliest recorded descriptions of status epilepticus and its aftermath of delirium, mood disorder, and hysteria. It also offers some of the earliest and most detailed accounts of complex partial seizures. Bleeding by cupping was the only symptomatic or prophylactic treatment recorded. These aspects of the diary are presented, as are the historical perspectives on epilepsy, including early beliefs and stigmas, therapeutic remedies, and early European views of epilepsy.

[The ecstatic epilepsy of Teresa of Jesus]. / La epilepsia extática de Teresa de Jesús.

AIMS: Our aim is to define the ecstasies (raptures) of Teresa de Ahumada (Teresa of Jesus) and to link them with ecstasies recently identified as convulsive seizures (Dostoevsky s epilepsy, Saint Paul s disease, ecstatic epilepsy). DEVELOPMENT AND CONCLUSIONS: We review the Carmelite nun's pathography, with special attention given to the excellent detailed descriptions of her ecstasies. The stereotypic movements and comparison with similar cases leads us to consider them as being epileptic, possibly secondary to neurocysticercosis.

Seizures in the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Edgar Allan Poe, one of the most celebrated of American storytellers, lived through and wrote descriptions of episodic unconsciousness, confusion, and paranoia. These symptoms have been attributed to alcohol or drug abuse but also could represent complex partial seizures, prolonged postictal states, or postictal psychosis. Complex partial seizures were not well described in Poe's time, which could explain a misdiagnosis. Alternatively, he may have suffered from complex partial epilepsy that was complicated or caused by substance abuse. Even today, persons who have epilepsy are mistaken for substance abusers and occasionally are arrested during postictal confusional states. Poe was able to use creative genius and experiences from illness to create memorable tales and poignant poems.