Dostoevsky's epilepsy: a case report and comparison.
The Russian writer Dostoevsky (1821-1881) suffered from a rare form of temporal lobe epilepsy termed "ecstatic epilepsy." Dostoevsky used his epileptic experiences to create Prince Myshkin, the protagonist of The Idiot. The recent case of a patient who experienced ecstatic epilepsy as a result of a temporal lobe brain tumor is presented and compared with that of Prince Myshkin. Reading Dostoevsky can give the contemporary physician an insight into the inner life of an epileptic patient--an example of how art can directly benefit medical practice.
Morgan
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Methodist Hospital, Lubbock, Texas.
D000328:Adult; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005197:Famous Persons; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D008091:Literature; D008297:Male; D013702:Temporal Lobe; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014586:USSR