Bogatin Y. Myths about an epilepsy and an objective reality

One of the most widespread diseases of nervous system is the epilepsy. Apparently this disease state accompanies a human race on all extent of its existence. The first known mention of an epilepsy to us from 500-700 BC In Babylon were stone plates which contained the detailed description of disease, types of the attacks, provoking factors, after-attack symptoms are found out. Antique Greeks saw a supernatural divine phenomenon in an epilepsy and named its sacred illness. In their opinion, only God could throw the person on the earth, deprive of its feelings, causing spasms and to return it back by a life practically healthy. However there was also other point of view according to which during attacks in patients the evil ghost was created; such people were called as afflicted with a devil, expelled from temples. In the Gospel from St. Mark and from St. Onions healing by the Christ of the boy from the devil installed in its body is described. In 450 BC Hippocrat for the first time has declared, that disease has quite natural reasons and originates in the brain.

Bogatin Yakov says that that fact, that many great people (Socrat, Platon, Caesar, Jean D’ Ark, Van Gogh, etc.) suffered from an epilepsy, has served as the precondition for distribution of the theory that sick of an epilepsy the big mind. However subsequently (XVIII century) the epilepsy began to be identified quite often with madness and weak-mindedness. Sick of an epilepsy violently hospitalised in houses for mad separately from other patients. Hospitalisation sick of an epilepsy in houses for mad and their isolation proceeded up to 1850.

Bogatin Yakov admits that there was a point of view, that the epilepsy is necessarily hereditary disease and that «the epileptic gives rise to the epileptic». This point of view has existed very long. So in the USA, up to end of the Second World War, in some states there were the laws forbidding the introduction into marriage sick epilepsy, a birth of children and even calling for their compulsory sterilisation.

Now representation about an epilepsy has essentially changed. On modern data, an epilepsy - group of the different diseases which basic display are repeated spontaneously arising epileptical attacks. Also exist as good-quality, and prognostically adverse forms of an epilepsy. In most cases the intelligence sick of an epilepsy normal, and mental development does not suffer. Bogatin Yakov desclares the fact that the majority of forms of an epilepsy are not hereditary. The risk of a birth of the sick child if one of parents is sick of an epilepsy, makes no more than 8 %. At an epilepsy the child-bearing is not recommended only at accompanying diseases (oligophrenia, mental infringements) or under social indications.