title: Epilepsy: A Disruptive Force in History.
abstract: Since it was first described in a Mesopotamian text in 2000 bc, countless individuals have offered their perspectives on epilepsy's cause, treatment, and even deeper spiritual significance. However, despite the attention the disease has received through the millennia, it has only been within the past half-century that truly effective treatment options have been available. As a result, for the vast majority of recorded history, individuals with epilepsy have not only had to deal with the uncertainty of their next epileptic seizure but also the concomitant stigma and ostracization. Interestingly, these individuals have included several prominent historical figures, including Julius Caesar, Vladimir Lenin, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The fact that epilepsy has appeared in the lives of influential historical people means that the disease has played some role in affecting the progress of human civilization. Epilepsy has cut short the lives of key political leaders, affected the output of talented cultural icons, and, especially within the past half century, influenced the collective understanding of neuroscience and the human nervous system. In this article, the authors review how epilepsy throughout history has manifested itself in the lives of prominent figures and how the disease has helped shape the course of humanity's political, cultural, and scientific evolution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Rohaid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Ian D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Connolly
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Abdullah H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Feroze
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
authors.forename: Ahmed J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Awad
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Omar A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Choudhri
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA. Electronic address: ggrant2@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Gerald A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Grant
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000266:history*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000266:history*; D005197:Famous Persons; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000266:history*; D011287:Prejudice / Q000266:history*; D012934:Social Isolation
keywords: Culture; Epilepsy; Fyodor Dostoyevsky; Henry Molaison; History; Julius Caesar