Brain Advance Access published online on October 20, 2009
Brain, doi:10.1093/brain/awp249
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Book Review |
A milestone in three millennia of epileptology—the centenary of the International League against Epilepsy
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
In 2009, the International League against Epilepsy celebrated a milestone, the centenary of its inauguration. Nonetheless, it is still a relative newcomer in the 3000 year saga of recorded human epilepsy (Temkin, 1971
), and one may wonder why the League should have appeared when it did, what its purpose was and what it has achieved?
Over much of the past three millennia, epilepsy has been interpreted either as the result of supernatural interventions of various kinds or as a medical illness whose scientific basis was elusive. Until relatively recently, generalized tonic–clonic convulsive seizures were regarded as the essential manifestation of epilepsy, although minor, non-convulsive or locally convulsive phenomena, sometimes associated with generalized convulsive seizures, were known. Such seizures nearly always occur unpredictably, usually suddenly, have spectacular manifestations and cause temporary yet total interruption of consciousness and loss of bodily function control. It is easy to understand why such phenomena
Central Clinical School (University of Queensland) Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Herston, Brisbane, Australia 4027