Victor Horsley's contribution to Jacksonian epileptology.
OBJECTIVE
To describe Victor Horsley's contribution to John Hughlings Jackson's understanding of the mechanisms involved in the generalization of convulsive epileptic seizures.


METHODS
I reviewed Horsley's writings and other relevant late 19th century medical literature.


RESULTS
Horsley's combination of strategically sited surgical lesions and cerebral cortex stimulation studies in experimental animals showed that, contrary to Hughlings Jackson's earlier belief, epileptic activity arising in one cerebral hemisphere had to spread to the contralateral hemisphere before bilateral convulsing could occur.


CONCLUSIONS
On the basis of well-designed experiments, Horsley made a major contribution to the understanding of epileptic seizure propagation mechanisms.
Eadie
Mervyn J
MJ
Department of Medicine, University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
D004829:Epilepsy, Generalized / Q000266:history / Q000503:physiopathology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000266:history*; D012640:Seizures / Q000266:history* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006113:United Kingdom