Place Your Advertisement Here
All ad revenues support the mission of the Epilepsy Therapy Project
 
UPDATED: Sun, 10/21/2007 - 9:39pm

  • Epilepsy First Aid
  • Seizure Medication
  • Videos
  • Seizure Diary
  • Find a Doctor
  • Epilepsy Centers
  • Clinical Trials
  • Event Calendar

Place Your Advertisement Here
All ad revenues support the mission
of the Epilepsy Therapy Project

History of Epilepsy

A Historical Point of View

Epilepsy has afflicted human beings since the dawn of our species and has been recognized since the earliest medical writings. In fact, few medical conditions have attracted so much attention and generated so much controversy as epilepsy.

Hippocrates

400 B.C.:

The Greek physician Hippocrates writes the first book on epilepsy, On the Sacred Disease. Refuting the idea that epilepsy is a curse or a prophetic power, Hippocrates proves the truth: It's a brain disorder. "It is thus with regard to the disease called Sacred: it appears to me to be nowise more divine nor more sacred than other diseases, but has a natural cause like other affections. . ."

Jesus Christ

70 A.D.:

In the Gospel According to Mark (9:14-29), Jesus Christ casts out a devil from a young man with epilepsy: "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive the spirit out, but they could not." (NIV)

Malleus Maleficarum

1494:

A handbook on witch-hunting, Malleus Maleficarum, brings a wave of persecution and torture, leading to the death of more than 200,000 women. Written by two Dominican friars under papal authority, the book identifies the presence of seizures as a characteristic of witches.

John Hughlings Jackson

1859-1906:

Under the leadership of three English neurologists--John Hughlings Jackson, Russell Reynolds, and Sir William Richard Gowers--the modern medical era of epilepsy begins. In a study, Jackson defines a seizure as "an occasional, an excessive, and a disorderly discharge of nerve tissue on muscles." He also recognizes that seizures can alter consciousness, sensation, and behavior.

Epileptologist

1904

The term "epileptologist" was first used to describe a person who specializes in epilepsy. William Spratling, the neurologist who coined the word, is now regarded as North America's first epileptologist.


1912

In 1912, two independent teams of chemists created phenobarbital under the name of Luminal. Phenobarbital is the oldest AED in common clinical use.


1920

The ketogenic diet is one of the oldest forms of treatment for epilepsy. Devised in the 1920s when there were few effective treatments for epilepsy, this special diet, which is high in fat, low in protein, and has negligible amounts of carbohydrate, was created to simulate some of the metabolic effects of fasting, a state known to decrease seizures in some individuals.

Hans Berger

1929

A German psychiatrist named Hans Berger announced to the world that it was possible to record electric currents generated on the brain, without opening the skull, and to depict them graphically onto a strip of paper. Berger named this new form of recording as the electroencephalogram (EEG).


1939

Discovery and clinical testing of phenytoin (PHT) by Merritt and Putnam introduced both a major new non-sedating AED and an animal model of epilepsy. For over forty years, PHT has been a first-line medication for the prevention of partial and tonic-clonic seizures and for the acute treatment of seizures and status epilepticus.


1953

Carbamazepine (CBZ) was synthesized by Schindler at Geigy in an attempt to compete with the newly introduced antipsychotic, chlorpromazine. Over the years, CBZ has gained acceptance as a first-line treatment for partial and tonic-clonic seizures.


1958:

Ethosuximide (ESM) was introduced as an AED and has been the drug of choice for children with absence seizures who do not also have tonic-clonic or myoclonic seizures. ESM is also effective for atypical absence seizures.


1963:

Soduium Valproate (VPA) anticonvulsant property was recognized serendipitously when it was used by Pierre Eymard as a solvent for a number of other compounds. VPA is effective over the complete range of seizures.

Epilepsy Foundation of America

1968:

The Epilepsy Foundation of America is founded, the only such organization wholly dedicated to the welfare of people with epilepsy. It is now known as the Epilepsy Foundation.

The Veterans Administration

1970:

The Veterans Administration spearheads a movement toward establishing epilepsy centers, launching a new breed of neurologists who began to specialize in the treatment and research of epilepsy.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

1990:

Even in the twentieth century, some U.S. states had laws forbidding people with epilepsy to marry or become parents, and some states permitted sterilization. To establish a clear and comprehensive prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Pills

1993:

Felbatol (felbamate) and Neurontin (gabapentin) are FDA approved.


1994:

Lamictal (lamotrigine) is FDA approved.


1996:

Topamax (topiramate) is FDA approved.


1997:

Gabitril (tiagabine) is FDA approved.

FDA

1997:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved vagus nerve stimulation in combination with seizure medication for partial epilepsy in adults.


1999:

Keppra (levetiracetam) is FDA approved.


2000:

Trileptal (oxcarbazepine) and Zonegran are FDA approved.

Family

2000:

A landmark conference, "Curing Epilepsy: The Promise and the Challenge," organized by the Epilepsy Foundation of America, sets bold goals for tomorrow's treatment including prevention and cure of epilepsy; no seizures or side effects for those with the condition; and finding ways to prevent epilepsy acquired from injury, infection, or errors of development.

Topic Editor: Steven C. Schachter, M.D.
Last Reviewed:11/30/04


Please visit Famous People with Epilepsy for more information




This content is user-generated. Content is not monitored nor consistently reviewed by the epilepsy.com Editorial Board. Epilepsy.com therefore cannot guarantee the accuracy of any content edited with the Wiki sections. While epilepsy.com, the Epilepsy Therapy Project, and its partners encourage visitor interaction and publishing within these sections, users should use caution when exploring content, especially as it pertains to health concerns. No content on epilepsy.com is intended to replace the care of a doctor. We encourage you to contact your own health care provider for individual medical advice. We cannot provide second opinions or make specific recommendations regarding therapy, nor does this Wiki content constitute a recommendation for any diagnosis or treatment options.


No members have contributed to this topic yet. Be the first!

Welcome to the Wiki. This space is created for epilepsy.com members to share their own experiences and expertise to help refine and expand the discussion around important topics.

Epilepsy.com Members: If you are a member and wish to be the first to edit this Wiki topic, please make sure to login, then click on the orange "Edit this Wiki" button at the top of this page. Put in your own content about this topic in the Main Body text area and submit the page. Or, learn more about Wikis before you begin.

Register Today: If you are not an epilepsy.com member, register today to get started on this Wiki topic and the many other advantages of being a member.


Turn the page on your treatment by starting your Epilepsy Diary today.

Keeping a daily record of your seizures can help you and your doctor better understand and treat your epilepsy.

Open my epiCom Diary



Title Posted
Switching to Topamax from Depakote ER.. Advice?  
jessicarenee
A Scary Doctor  
snoodle
VNS  
maryem
Vimpat for Primary Generalized Epilepsy  
filly150
Food-Triggered Siezures  
uberzwitter
I Have Epilepsy and I Hate My Life...  
1nevermore
Hallucinations and delusions  
rayraykay
Epilepsy/Seizure Caused Hallucinations?  
chrylbltn
"Post-ictal" confusion  
RitKid742
Switching from Keppra XR to Zonergan- tossing& turning  
kmworden
View all Forums

Title Page Views
my.epilepsy.com Updates  
epi_help
topamax and weight loss  
alexia mom
kepra  
brian mattingly
Possible cure for absence seizures  
pdl1
Epilepsy and marijuana  
cjad234
Sexual Side Effects  
George R
How exactly do aura's feel  
WendyBendy
MEDICAL ALERT I.D.'s  
picnupthepcs
Over 40 Different Types Of Seizures - Revised  
spiz
electrical shock in head?  
Maggie
View all Forums

Title Posted
The Last Voice  
cindy thacher
Ugg boots  
shirts
UGG lays its charm  
shirts
UGG lays its charm  
shirts
29 years old, had seizures since I was 8.  
dkalra
Stroll for Epilepsy Awareness  
bookworm03
Epilepsy Advocacy  
krjohnson
Hello Again, catching up!  
chandagunn
PowerPoint to Youtube  
dwightgenius
The Adventure of WOW Team  
zhangben
View all Blogs

Title Page Views
Inspirational Quote - My Own Personal Inner Thoughts  
Butterflygrl
my partial complex seizures  
Zanna1211
Topomax... The Dreaded.........  
Dr Jason
Brain Zaps, tics & twitches  
JudiS
side effects of phenobarb.  
pksmom
Feeling Sick  
JBJ1984
How can you tell if a sleep seizure happens?  
epl_controller
Tegretol XR and ANXIETY meds  
Butterflygrl
TYLENOL, AEDs & SEIZURES  
cmscribbles
Nonepileptic "Events" vs. "Seizures"  
teft
View all Blogs

Title Posted
Project Uplift  
tamliniscute
SEIZURE FREE  
gracie9933
EPILEPSY SUPPORT GROUP NORTH CAROLINA  
Roxanne D
Community Feedback on Proposed New epilepsy.com Feature  
kdredske
Parent with Child with Epilepsy,Dystonia, and Autism  
TashaCole
RX outreach Program  
mw
Fun and Games  
phylisfjohnson
Epilepsy and Memory Loss??  
lindseygthatsme
Epileptic Postictal Psychosis  
Bravedefender
Northern California Volunteers  
cannemo73
View all Groups

Title Posted
My First time  
SteveDaw
My Epilepsy  
amberbrady5384
The crazy spiritual journey that is a seizure.  
zeus1223
29 years old; epilepsy since I was 8.  
dkalra
my experience with epilepsy  
Sabia
Family with Epilepsy  
thunley
My Story Of How I Was Diagnosed With Epilepsy.  
bass_babyx
Lorrelei71  
Lorrelei71
i guess this is my life now.  
RhiannonElizabeth
Liam's eppie blog  
Liam.Mc
View all Stories

Place Your Advertisement Here
All ad revenues support the mission
of the Epilepsy Therapy Project