(The Scream (cropped) painted by Edvard Munch (1863–1944), [Public Domain] via Creative
Commons)
The ancient Babylonians are
thought to have been the first people to mention epilepsy, or at least a
disease with similar symptoms, in a written language. The Babylonians told of
violent seizures they thought were caused in man by the influences of demons,
or other dark deities. The ancient Greeks, to an extent, agreed with this
belief. Epilepsy, or as the ancient Greeks called it, the Sacred Disease, was
the go-to illness used by the gods to punish humans who drew the unforgiving
ire of heaven.
Around 400 BCE, Hippocrates
dealt the first blow against this ancient perception of epilepsy. Hippocrates,
rather than agreeing that the disease was caused by the wrath of the gods,
instead proposed that the disease was a natural illness and suggested that it should
be addressed like any other disease. Nevertheless, despite Hippocrates’ best
efforts, the perception of epilepsy as a divine punishment persisted in Greek
culture.
The Romans, too, often
believed epilepsy to be a ‘Sacred Disease.’ Yet, there seemed to be a dualistic
view of the disease, at times seemingly based on social status. In the case of
the commoners, epilepsy was usually considered a punishment. Yet, for oracles
or nobility, the occurrence of epilepsy could sometimes be seen as a positive sign
of a prophetic gift.
Even during the Middle Ages
and the dawn of the modern era, many countries still believed epileptic
seizures to be a sign of demonic possession. Fortunately, with modern improvements
in medicine and research, epilepsy has begun to be truly deciphered and
understood.
Written by C. Keith Hansley.
- https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/125/2/441/297016/A-DISEASE-ONCE-SACRED-A-HISTORY-OF-THE-MEDICAL
- https://www.action.org.uk/touching-lives/march-2004/sacred-disease-epile
- http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/Fulltext/2005/01000/Epilepsy__Contemplating__the_Sacred_Disease_.6.aspx
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11594937
- http://nawrot.psych.ndsu.nodak.edu/courses/465Projects05/epilepsy/History.htm
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