The history of epilepsy: an interactive timeline

Investigations into the nature of epilepsy, and its effects on those diagnosed with the disorder, can be traced back for almost 2,000 years. From associations with lunar cycles, to legislation preventing those with epilepsy to marry, the cultural and scientific record on epilepsy treatment is one of stigma and misunderstanding. The interactive timeline below takes a look at some of the more notable, influential, and unusual events in the history of the disorder, with articles and information from Oxford Medicine Online, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford Reference, and Oxford Scholarship Online.

Featured image: Forest of synthetic pyramidal dendrites grown using Cajal’s laws of neuronal branching, by Hermann Cuntz. CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons