Julius Caesar's disease : a new diagnosis / Francesco Maria Galassi and Hutan Ashrafian.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Galassi, Francesco Maria, author.

Ashrafian, Hutan, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Caesar, Julius--Health.

Caesar, Julius.

Epileptics--Rome--Biography.

Epileptics.

Rome (Empire).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (192 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Barnsley, [England] : Pen & Sword History, 2016.

Summary:

It is generally accepted as a historical fact that Julius Caesar suffered from epilepsy, an illness which in classical times was sometimes associated with divinely bestowed genius. The ancient sources describe several episodes when, sometimes at critical junctures, one of the most famous military commanders in history was incapacitated by his illness referred to as morbus comitialis. But does the evidence really fit with the diagnosis of epilepsy? And if it was not epilepsy that afflicted Caesar, then what was it? These are the questions that doctors Galassi and Ashrafian seek to answer by applying modern medical knowledge to the symptoms and circumstances described by contemporary historians and commentators of Caesar's life (which include the great man himself). The result is a fascinating piece of historical-pathological detective work that challenges received wisdom about one of the most famous men of all time.

Contents:

ch. 1 The Ancient Sources and the Birth of the Epileptic Theory

ch. 2 Looking for the Cause of Caesar's Epilepsy: A Two Thousand Year Legacy

ch. 3 Doubting Epilepsy in Recent Times: An Imperial and Clinical Approach

ch. 4 A Simpler Hypothesis and a Novel Idea

ch. 5 Why Has the Epileptic Theory Been So Successful?.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed March 24, 2017).

ISBN:

9781473870819

147387081X

9781473870802

1473870801

9781473870796

1473870798