The History of Modern Epilepsy

Although the history of epilepsy, one of the most common serious neurological disorders, can easily be traced back to ancient times, the modern understanding of the disease only began in the middle of the 19th century. This history of the first fifty years of modern epileptology reflects the thinking, accomplishments, and failures of physicians between 1865 and 1914. This epoch presented a very bleak clinical picture: diagnosis was difficult and often arbitrary; treatment was poor and, at times, worse than the disease; and patients, who were usually viewed as having a progressive dementing condition, were shunned by society. Tradition, physicians' immaculate perceptions, their thinking in analogies, and the difficulty a doctor has in separating himself from his society are some of the important factors which led to a lack of clinical advancement during this time. Nevertheless, taking a longer view, a foundation was being established for understanding the physiology of the brain and how that might be related to epilepsy. This book should be of interest to any professional person concerned with or involved in exploring the neurophysiology of brain functions and its deviations, the care and treatment of patience with epilepsy, and the historical and social aspects of medicine.