title: The philosopher's swoon--the concussion of Michel de Montaigne: a historical vignette.
abstract: The French philosopher Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-1592) sustained a transient loss of consciousness due to a head injury. Montaigne described his concussion as a "swoon," with astutely illustrative details of the symptoms he experienced, including brief loss of consciousness, with apparent (temporary) confusion, and post-traumatic amnesia. His vivid portrayal of the recovery period lends understanding of the process of conscious awakening after his near-death experience. Thanks to his power of introspection and literary talent we may gain insight into the feelings and perceptions of some patients during their recovery from concussion.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. moshe.feinsod@gmail.com
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feinsod
authors.forename: Karen G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Langer
mesh_terms: D000648:Amnesia, Retrograde / Q000266:history*; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000266:history*; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000266:history*; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D006801:Humans; D008513:Medicine in Literature; D010684:Philosophy / Q000266:history*; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000266:history*