Sacred lives

Bone, Ian, FRCP2022

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Summary

In ancient times, epilepsy was a condition felt to be sacred. Early myths and mystique surrounding it led to persecution, demonisation, incarceration and social rejection. Only by the nineteenth century does epilepsy become accepted as a physical condition, and not a manifestation of madness or the result of a dangerous contagion. Why epilepsy became and continues to be so stigmatised can be best understood by observing the manner in which, over centuries, it has been presented in the arts and media. This book reviews how it has been portrayed in literature, paintings, in the cinema and on television, in music and the theatre, in newsprint and on social media.